


Scratchboard
Scratchboard art is the technique of using a sharp or abrasive tool to scratch away a layer of ink revealing a lighter color underneath. It is a subtractive process. With typical drawings, the artist adds in and shades the darker areas. With Scratchboard, the artist is scratching away the lighter areas of the image creating tonal ranges with the intensity of the scratches. It is a highly detailed and precise art form that can take hundreds of hours for a single piece to be completed.
The materials I use: I generally purchase my black scratchboards already prepped and ready to be scratched. They consist of a hardboard panel that has a layer of white clay and a layer of black ink applied over the white clay. I then use one of my chosen tools to scratch the black ink away revealing the white clay layer underneath. Again, the technique of the scratches that I lay down and the tool that I use creates tonal and value ranges. I love the dynamic contrast of the black and white of scratchboard art.
My favorite scratchy tools that I use frequently to create my art are: an xacto knife, various types of tattoo needles, a micro fiberglass brush, and nail/ emery boards. Occasionally, I’ve also used fine steel wool and sandpaper for different effects.
I spray all my finished scratchboards with a UV protectant varnish finishing spray which protects the board from dust and other potential damage. As with all fine art, care should be taken where the piece is stored and displayed, and direct sunlight should be avoided.
More on my process: In addition to creating scratchboard art in black and white, I also will sometimes add colored ink to my scratchboards. This technique involves scratching the black away to reveal the white and then adding a layer of colored ink. I will then apply another layer of scratches over the colored ink and continue to alternate layers of scratches and washes of ink until I accomplish the effect that I’m aiming for. I will also apply layers of diluted black ink washes to play up values in my black and white scratchboards. The results of both the colored scratchboard and the black & white scratchboards are highly detailed works of art. Much of my scratchboard art takes me 100+ hours to complete, even for small pieces, and sometimes several 100 hours. It’s a very time-consuming medium, but I love the detail I can achieve with scratchboard, and I love the high level of contrast and dynamic ranges of this medium. The physical act of scratching on a piece has a meditative quality that I really enjoy, and I experience a different mindset when working on scratchboards.
Because this medium is so meticulous and precision driven, it can be nice to take a break from scratchboard art and fire up my propane torch and hot plates to switch gears to the more free-flowing translucent qualities of the wax-based medium of encaustic painting.


