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WHAT IS SCRATCHBOARD?

 

Scratchboard (known as scraperboard in Europe) is a relatively unknown medium that was first introduced over 100 years ago in Britain and France. It was a high quality medium used as an alternative to traditional wood, metal and linoleum engraving. Then, in the 1930’s with the modernization of the printing process and many artists turning to real photography, scratchboard’s popularity began to fade. It was not until just recently that Scratchboard started to be “re-discovered” by many modern artists, especially among those in the wildlife genre.

The scratchboard technique is one where drawings are created using sharp tools such as razor blades, needles and even straight pins. These tools are used to etch (scratch) into a thin layer of white China clay that is coated with black India ink. The etching or scratching the artists does, along with various removal techniques, leaves a crisp fine white line of clay showing under the ink. This clay is now ready to be used to produce the final work of art. Scratchboard is known to produce a highly-detailed, precise and at times, incredibly textured piece of art.

 

 

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