I know scratchboard must seem like a mad sort of medium: artist hunched over a flat board, crazily etching hundreds and thousands of tiny scratches into a black board in the hopes of capturing some fleeting image in light and dark. And, yes, it is very much like that, but with much more muttering.
One might think that because scratchboard is such a basic process – scratch through one surface to reveal an underlying layer – that there would be a multitude of scratchboard products available. Sadly, no. Unlike other art mediums like painting or drawing where the artist can literally choose from any one of hundreds of varieties and brands of canvas or paper, scratchboard artists are much more limited in their choices. Scratchboard is only made by a handful of companies, and of those only a few are suitable for the serious or professional artist; well, at least that I’ve found – if you have other scratchboard you’d like me to review, send it along and I’ll happily give it a try:
Scratch-Art Paris Scratchboards: http://www.scratchart.com/
The Scratch-Art company makes a variety of boards, but only two are traditional black and white scratchboards – one is a student grade and the version is the professional grade. Even if you are a student, I would recommend the “Paris” grade. The clay layer is much thicker, which means you can make some corrections and re-scratch coloured areas for highlights, and the cardboard support is much thicker, which means it won’t accidentally bend and flake the ink off the clay. I know it’s tempting to go for the cheaper student grade, but it really behaves quite differently from the professional grade and it’s almost as though you have to re-learn your technique on the pro board when you move up, so you might as well start there anyway (yes, that is the voice of experience). The one thing I’m not a fan of with this product is the “slick” glossy feel of the ink layer. Think of the difference between hot-pressed and cold-pressed paper and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. On the plus side, Scratch-Art is a very popular brand in North America – I’ve even seen it in local craft/hobby shops. Finished works on Scratch-Art must be framed with glass
Essdee Scraperboard:
This British company hand makes their scraperboard (as it’s called in Europe) and it’s a very nice product – I actually like it quite a bit better than the Scratch-Art board because the inked surface is less glossy. Somewhat thinner than Scratch-Art’s “Paris” grade, it still has enough weight for corrections and re-inking. However, I’ve only ever had a small piece to work on and it’s quite hard to get on this side of the pond – even the big mail-order art supply stores have trouble keeping it in stock. Finished works on Essdee must be framed with glass.
Ampersand Claybord: http://www.ampersandart.com/
Ampersand Art Supply in Texas makes what I consider to be the ultimate scratchboard surface. With a hardboard backing and thick clay layer, this is a premium surface that can be scratched, re-inked and re-scratched far past the limits of other boards. The ink layer is very smoothly applied with a lovely matte sheen. I know some early reviews of this product complained about the strange circular marks in the surface (made from the orbital sander used on the clay layer) but the company has long since resolved those issues. And that’s another plus in Ampersand’s column: they are very responsive to the needs and suggestions of artists. Because scratchboard isn’t as popular a medium (yet…) it still is a bit hard to simply pop over to your local art store and pick up a board or two, but ordering from the big mail-order art supply companies is usually quite painless (although, do beware the shipping/customs fees if you’re not in the United States – we are talking about hardboard here, it’s heavy).
Next time: scratchboard tools.
