How to do Scratchbord Art©
Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2008
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
I first discovered scratchboard art by accident. It was at the clearance aisle in an art store. Here was a little kit that had the scratch pen missing. As a consumer I could not resist the bargain price and as an artist I could not hold back my curiosity and now I am an addict. Scratchboard art or scraperboard art is a technique where drawings are scratched into ink painted over a thin layer of white clay which has been laid over poster board or another stiff paper. These boards are also called scratchboard or scraperboard after the technique.
In the 19th century cardboard was coated with chalk, but this quickly progressed to the use of India ink in parts of Europe which prevails to this day. Scratchboard became popular for its "finer" line appearance, and could be photographically reduced for reproduction easily without losing quality and it was used mainly for advertising and editorial illustrations until computers made that outmoded in the mid 1950's. Now it has made a comeback as an appealing art medium. More recently Claybord, a finer medium, has been created to provide easier and more detail works.
I like claybord Black which is clay coated hardboard panel for scratchboard and it is coated with black India ink. Similar to traditional paper scratchboard, I like it because it is more durable and easier to scratch into for cleaner and crisper details and lines. Wherever I want to add dimension, I add colored India inks to the white areas and then scratched again for additional highlights and volume.
The nice thing about claybord black is in the event I make a mistake I can just take some more India ink and cover my mistake, let it dry and begin again.
Using a sharp, angled blade, an outline is made on the surface of the scratchboard. Depending on my design and what I want to create several areas are often cleared out for layering with these colored India inks or even watercolors or acrylics. I then scratch off the layers one by one to create different shades of color that blend into and highlight certain parts of my image. When needed, I can retouch with more paint as necessary. This technique can yield an image that appears remarkably lifelike.
The charm of clayboard or scratch board is that the cleared portions of the board can be left blank for a stark black-and-white image that is offset with the various colors of India ink that I have applied. Various techniques such as hatching or stippling can be used to texture and detail the image further.
Scratchboard may be either all black or all white. Clayboards often also come in tan, brown or light blue. When one uses the white scratchboard one will draw black areas onto it and then proceed to scratch into the black portions to create ones drawing. India ink is typically used for creating the black areas.
This is a stimulating and challenging art form which gives great finished works of art. The picture in this article is called the "ABC's of Flowers" and it took me 4 months to complete it. It is for sale, just email me.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with
Peace, Light and Love,
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