About Scratchboard

ALL ABOUT SCRATCHBOARD

People are often very curious about scratchboard. The most common question I get, is, “What the heck is scratchboard?” So I thought I’d add an educational element to my website to try and answer that question

According to the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (website at: http://scratchboardsociety.org/), “Scratchboard is a 2-dimensional subtractive art form.” That is, it is drawing on a surface where the image is created by taking something away rather than by adding something, such as with a pencil, pen or brush. This requires the artist to think and draw in the opposite fashion from other media. To put it simply, to draw a circle with a pen I might simply draw the outline of the circle on the paper, while with scratchboard I might take everything away that isn’t the circle, leaving the circle behind. The thought process, I believe, is somewhat similar to printmaking.

Scratchboard has been around for a while. I remember as a child playing with scratchboard sets that consisted of heavy black paper and a pointed stick. Rubbing the stick over the paper removed the black covering revealing colors underneath. Scratchboard paper has been around for a while. It had a black surface layer over a white layer. With a sharp implement you could scratch away the black to reveal the white underneath. It was fun to use but you had to be very careful or you could easily rip or tear the paper.

The medium was greatly improved by the creation of high quality scratchboard using a wooden panel. These panels consist of a Masonite base over which is placed a layer of white clay that is then covered with a layer of black ink. This is so much more durable and easy to use and preserve than the paper scratchboard.

Any sharp implement can be used to draw on scratchboard. Speedball makes a couple of scratching points, a point for finer lines and a spoon for broader lines. I tend to use an X-acto knife or a scapel. Some people use other abrasives such as sandpaper or coarse erasers.

SCRATCHBOARD AND ME

As I said, I played with scratchboard sets when I was young. As I got older I would occasionally try out the scratchboard paper. I liked the results. Something about the process appealed to me, but the quality of the surface kept me from trying more.

In 1995 I tried something different. I drew and colored a rough picture on a cardboard surface and then I covered the whole thing with black crayon. Then I selectively scratched away the crayon back down to the picture. The results were very satisfying (see below), but, oh my, was it messy! Black crayon flakes and dust everywhere. My wife did not approve. I actually sold this piece, at a time before I had ever sold much of anything, which should have told me something. However, it would be a while before I scratched again.

It was in 2010 in an art supply store when I found and bought my first scratchboard panel. I took it home and scratched out an image and fell in love with it. It felt so nice drawing the pen over the surface, and I could create details that were beyond me in other medium. When I found out I could add color easily I was sold. I went out and bought more boards right away. My first serious picture, Sunrise on a Snowy Wood, won an award at a local art show, and then, surprisingly, someone bought it. I’ve been scratching away ever since.

In the Deep Deep Woods, scratched crayon, 1995

Backyard Snow, scratchboard, 2010

Sunrise on a Snowy Wood, scratchboard, 2011