Scratchboard

Probably familiar by many as an art project done in grade school, today scratchboard has certainly graduated to much loftier heights. It starts with hardboard that is prepared with a special white clay coating and then surface coated with India ink, acrylic, or watercolor paints.

The surface is then meticulously “scratched” away with a sharp stylus or knife to create a picture. Analogous to pen and ink to paper, scratchboard is the reverse…rather than adding dark lines you slowly scratch the black surface away to reveal the light. It is not a negative image but rather a positive image created from darkness.

The addition of color can help enhance the image. In the end, the result is a finely detailed, almost photographic look composed entirely of tiny scratches. I also try to incorporate interesting frames of cedar sticks and textured boards to accentuate my drawings of natural and tactile objects.

All artwork copryright 2021 - Ron Zdroik