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How to Make Colorful Scratchboards

Make scratchboards using an etching technique by coloring a piece of artwork with crayons and scratching off a final layer of black ink to reveal the colors. Professional artists use this technique for creating graphic artwork, and children use the technique for creating colorful art projects in school. You can etch any subject matter you desire, from representational drawings to abstract designs and patterns. With a few supplies and a lot of imagination, you will create a stunning composition.

Things You'll Need

  • Newspaper
  • Illustration board
  • Pencil
  • Crayons
  • Cotton rag
  • Paintbrush
  • Black India ink
  • Tracing paper (optional)
  • Etching tool
  • Soft craft brush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add newspaper to your surface to protect your workspace.

    • 2

      Sketch organic shapes to cover the illustration board using a pencil. Create shapes in any size to cover the entire surface. It does not matter the what the shapes look like, they will be used to color in with crayons to fill the board with color. The more shapes you create the more variation in color you can create across the composition.

    • 3

      Color the shapes using crayons. The colors of crayons you choose to use are the colors that will show through in the final piece. Use a multitude of colors, adding colors randomly to the shapes you created. Press the crayons hard on the surface to fill in the areas.

    • 4

      Rub a cotton rag over the colored surface to burnish the crayon markings and remove some of the excess wax. The wax in the crayons works as a resist to the ink. By burnishing the crayons, you will remove some of the wax and at the same time create a flattened surface to work on.

    • 5

      Dip your paintbrush into the black India ink and brush the ink over the surface of the board. Paint in thin layers to cover the board, adding additional ink over crayon areas that resist the ink. Allow drying, according to ink bottle directions. Paint a second layer of ink, if necessary, to completely cover the surface.

    • 6

      Sketch your drawing freehand, or trace your drawing onto the board using a pencil. The pencil will appear lightly on the black inked surface, but will be visible enough to use as a reference.

    • 7

      Use an etching tool to begin scratching your drawing on the board. Place the point of the tool onto the surface and begin drawing with the etching tool. You will need to apply some pressure to scratch through the layer of ink. Draw outlines and lines with the tool. To color in large areas, use a cross-hatching technique by creating criss-crossing lines to remove the ink and let the crayon colors shine. The closer you etch the lines, the more color will show through.

    • 8

      Use a soft craft brush to brush away the shards of ink that you have scraped from the surface.

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