Scratching an Itch
Today I am off to my studio to explore a new (to me, at least) technique of “scratching”. I know it sounds funny to say it that way, but it is what we scratchboard artists do, after all. And today it is especially apropos because I have a very strong “itch” to try something another artist mentioned to me in passing last week. She is not a scratchboard artist, but what she said intrigued me and I was not able to get it out of my mind all weekend. Now my unorthodox tools are gathered and I am ready to give it a try. I will not divulge any more details now (after all, I don't even have a clue if this will work!), but I will certainly keep you posted on the progress of my experiment.
Now a little more about producing fine art by scratching a surface.
Scratching on a surface to produce art has been around since early man first painted and scratched on the walls of caves. Through the centuries scratchboard art has evolved and has certainly become more refined. Scratchboard artists today are able to achieve intricate details, explore every subject matter imaginable and work in a broad array of styles.
Scratchboard art is achieved by using abrasive and/or sharp tools to remove dark colored ink to reveal a white layer below. For the professional artist this is most often black India ink that has been applied over a white claybord panel. These panels can be purchased already prepared from companies such as Ampersand or the artist may choose to prepare their own work surface from scratch.
After transferring their design to the board the artist sets about removing the ink in a series of small “scratches” to expose the white surface below. Usually many different tools are utilized in one piece to achieve the different effects and textures desired. It is a time intensive process, but such a satisfying one with the end results an artist is able to ultimately achieve.
The artist may leave the artwork in black and white or choose to color all or part of it using a variety of mediums. Although there are inks specifically formatted for scratchboard, watercolor, acrylics and colored pencils have all been used with great success. There is no rule as to how much or how little color must be put back into a piece if the artist decides not to leave it strictly black and white. The choice is strictly up to the artist and runs the gamut from a single “pop” of color for dramatic effect to coloring the piece in its entirety.
There are many ways to “finish”, protect and frame scratchboard art. For my own work I have elected to protect the work under multiple layers of a matt varnish specifically recommended for scratchboard art. I also frame all of my scratchboard pieces using archival materials that include museum quality glass that I feel offer not only a great look for my work, but afford another layer of protection to the piece.
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