When making apparatus that uses the black art principle, you can also use flat black paint but this is not always sufficient for the effect. While black velvet or even felt from a fabric store can work fine, the thickness of the material and the ease of attaching to the prop may not be what you want.

The best value and material I have found the Self-Adhesive, Low-Pile Black Velvet available from McMaster-Carr via mail order (http://www.mcmaster.com/); part number: 88015K1 (plain back) or 88015K2 (adhesive back). The thickness is a mere .030" for the adhesive or .020” for the plain so it does not add a significant thickness to your black art panel.

The trick to installing the self-adhesive velvet is to do it without wrinkles and without wasting the material.

1. Be sure the surface area to be mounted to is clear from dirt, dust, or flaking paint.
2. Using a carpenter’s square, measure the material to be cut. If affixing to a flat panel, this may be used as the guide. Often edges of the material are lacking velvet material so this must be considered when you are measuring.
3. With utility knife cut on a flat serviced worktable where any cutting through will not damage the surface. A large piece of scrap plywood on the kitchen table works well.
4. To install the adhesive backed paper, peel back about 1" of the removable backing along one edge and crease the backing away from the adhesive.
5. Stick the exposed edge into position and press firmly into place making sure it is aligned correctly before proceeding.
6. Peel back the protective paper little by little and press the expose surfaces into place being sure that no wrinkles or bubbles form.
7. When working with the plain backed paper, use an appropriate glue for the surface you are affixing to. White glue works well for unpainted wood surfaces and also allows for the piece to be repositioned prior to drying if necessary. You may also try one of the various spray mount products for adhering the non-adhesive cloth.

Hopefully, you will find this material easy to work with and invisible in your black art project.