Many times while I'm at an art show or a demonstration I am asked, "What kind of artwork are you doing? "What is it?" "What do tools are you using?" and "How long does it take you?" So I thought it would be fun to answer a few of these questions over the next couple weeks on this blog.
Today I will answer the first two questions; What kind of artwork do I do? and What is it? I have worked a lot with Pen and Ink and Painted with Colored Inks, but my favorite medium and what I work mostly with is Scratch Board.
Many people say, "Oh I remember using that in Kindergarten!" Yes, you probably used something similar to it. Your teacher probably had you color with crayons on a piece of paper and then painted it with a coat of black ink. You then you scratched it with a popsicle stick. Or she bought some similar paper at a craft store with an outline of a picture printed on it for you to scratch off. That is usually called Scratch Art.
Scratch Board is similar but different. The panel is an art board that is made of wood, next it has a smooth absorbent white clay layer, then coated with a high quality Indian Ink. Instead of the black Indian ink, some artists spray their own Clay Board (the panel with just the white clay layer) using a colored ink and an airbrush for the top coat to give their art a very unique look. Either way, these panels will not tear, bend or crack. The artist scrapes away the ink with many different tools to create intricately detailed work and show the beautiful white clay underneath. If color is desired, colored ink is most commonly painted on for brilliant yet translucent color. The artist can then scratch any highlights to make a very life like look. To insure the artwork is preserved typically it is sprayed with a varnish or clear fixative.
Scratch Art is available at many local craft stores and is a great way to start Scratching. It may take many hours to get the desired look you want but it is fun to see the result of your hard work. If your decide you would like to advance to Scratch Board you may need to purchase it online, especially to get unique sizes. Best wishes and have fun.
Today I will answer the first two questions; What kind of artwork do I do? and What is it? I have worked a lot with Pen and Ink and Painted with Colored Inks, but my favorite medium and what I work mostly with is Scratch Board.
Many people say, "Oh I remember using that in Kindergarten!" Yes, you probably used something similar to it. Your teacher probably had you color with crayons on a piece of paper and then painted it with a coat of black ink. You then you scratched it with a popsicle stick. Or she bought some similar paper at a craft store with an outline of a picture printed on it for you to scratch off. That is usually called Scratch Art.
Scratch Board is similar but different. The panel is an art board that is made of wood, next it has a smooth absorbent white clay layer, then coated with a high quality Indian Ink. Instead of the black Indian ink, some artists spray their own Clay Board (the panel with just the white clay layer) using a colored ink and an airbrush for the top coat to give their art a very unique look. Either way, these panels will not tear, bend or crack. The artist scrapes away the ink with many different tools to create intricately detailed work and show the beautiful white clay underneath. If color is desired, colored ink is most commonly painted on for brilliant yet translucent color. The artist can then scratch any highlights to make a very life like look. To insure the artwork is preserved typically it is sprayed with a varnish or clear fixative.
Scratch Art is available at many local craft stores and is a great way to start Scratching. It may take many hours to get the desired look you want but it is fun to see the result of your hard work. If your decide you would like to advance to Scratch Board you may need to purchase it online, especially to get unique sizes. Best wishes and have fun.
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