Embossing - Black or White?

Recently I was playing with a new dolphin stamp I have.  Initially I stamped it and tried water coloring it.  It turned out less than stellar so I decided to try embossing it then color it.  Now I normally always reach for my black embossing powder just because...well, I'm not sure why - I just always do.  

 So, I stamped and embossed him with black Embossing powder.  I love how it turned out - MUCH better than the plain stamped image.  Embossing the image made little "wells" to corral the watercolor so I didn't have any bleeding from one area to another.  For this example I used a variety of blue Memento inks to color the dolphin then used them again in the background to help make him pop.  I love how vibrant he turned out and the black really helps enforce that.

But as I was looking at the card I decided to try something a bit different so I pulled out my White embossing power and gave it a shot.  I then colored him with more diluted blues and Pear Tart (one of my favorite IC ink colors).  It created a much "lighter" feel to the finished image don't you think?  While the white version isn't as bold and stand out-ish as the one with black ep it still makes a striking finished image.   This example was mounted on a piece of watercolor paper that I colored with Sea Green and Turquoise Brusho Colour Crystals.

So next time you're feeling in a rut or just in the mood for something fresh, choose an embossing powder that you normally wouldn't and give it a try.  You might just be surprised at what a difference it makes.  I know I sure was!

Now, which is your favorite and why?

It's hard for me to choose one over the other - blue is my favorite color so I find the dark and bold black embossed image what I lean towards but the lighter white embossed image has such a fresh airy feel to it....I just can't decide!