How to etch an eye on scratchboard

Etching away on a piece of scratchboard is so satisfying to me. It creates instant contrast of black and white to make eye catching artworks. This post is going to teach you all about scratchart, materials needed, show you how to create an etching from start to finish. Also, there is a video tutorial!

What is scratch art?

Scratchart is the art of etching away at a piece of waxy/clay paper with a layer of paint/ink on top. Often times, it is white wax with a layer of black paint on top. Professional grade scratchboard is literally a board, it is heavy duty. Most artist grade scratchboard is the weight of paper. There are many cool options of scratchboard, such as rainbow, gold and silver background. Artists can also make their own scratch paper by simply covering a piece of paper with thickly layered wax crayon and then painting a layer of black acrylic paint on top. After the black paint dries, VOILA! Home made scratchboard! Creating an etching is a subtractive art process in which the artists take away material to create the image. You are essentially “etching” away to “add” highlights. It’s a reverse of a pencil drawing which you “add” marks to “create” shadows.

What kinds of marks should I make on my scratchboard?

As you etch and scratch, you will want to use line techniques to render value.

Hatching- etching lines to render value

Crosshatching– crossing lines to render value

Stippling- etching dots or tiny lines to render value

Scumbling- squiggling to render value

What do artists etch/scratch with?

Honestly, anything sharp will etch, like a push pin, paperclip. The Cadillac of etching tools is a good stylus. This is basically a pencil with a sharp nib on the end. Some styli have changeable nibs so you can vary the marks you make. These are really cool to use. My personal favorite is a classic exacto knife with a fresh blade.

What other materials will I need?

You don’t need to spend a lot to get started. Below is a list of items you will need, along with some links to what I used from Amazon to make my own etching.

1. Drawing paper to draft your image on
2. Tracing paper
3. Scratchpaper/scratch board
4. Pencil
5. Reference image *if you’d like*
6. Ballpoint Pen
7. Craft knife/stylus
8. Tape (optional)

Ideally, the drawing paper, tracing paper, and scratchboard are all the same size to keep it consistent.

What are the steps to create an etching?

This video tutorial will show you a step by step tutorial of how to draw a scratchart etching of an eye. In the video, I use a simple DRAW-TRACE-TRANSFER method to get the drafted image onto the scratchboard.

1. Draft out your composition. 
2. Trace your draft outlines onto transfer paper
3. Tape the transfer paper onto your scratchboard
4. Trace your lines with ballpoint pen to make indentations onto the scratchboard Don’t push to hard as this risks tearing the transfer paper.
5. Remove the transfer paper and you have your composition mapped out with indentations.

Here are photos of the eye reference image with and without the grid.

What are some common mistakes made by beginners?

Remember- this is a subtractive etching which means you are working in reverse. Your marks are etching away to create light rather than adding marks to make shadows (such as in a pencil drawing). Sketching onto scratchpaper with pencil is a no-go. You risk etching away areas that you don’t intend to. Best way to start a scratch art. Also, avoid starting a drawing by outlining everything with an etched white line. This is a common mistake I’ve seen artists make. See example below. Good news- there is an easy fix.

I want to add some color to my black and white etching. Is this possible?

Another cool option for scratch artists is scratchboard color ink. Once your work is finalized, you can add color onto specific areas to draw emphasis or add another layer of color to your work. I’d imagine alcohol inks would work as well. Anyone ever try it?

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if it was helpful or if you have any questions!