The New Scratchboard: Clay-Surface Techniques and Materials for Today's Artist

by Charles Ewing

Artists looking for a fresh approach to their work will enjoy this rich resource offering complete instruction on the dynamic art form known as scratchboard. The book outlines the long history of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823046583
• ISBN13: 9780823046584
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 10.5"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful book for experienced painters to expand horizions

This is a wonderful book for experienced painters with that want to expand their horizons or for anyone who wants background information on clay-surface techniques. It shows how a wide range of painting and drawing techniques can be used in conjunction with scratchboard techniques to create a stunning array of results on these very versatile surfaces.The book starts out with background information on clay-coated surfaces including history, and the types of surfaces and their characteristics. It then covers application and scratching tools. A basic vocabulary and an overview of various mediums that can be used on them are also here. Several sections highlighting different surfaces and mediums follow. These include ink-coated clay surface, India ink on white clay, color medium on white clay and printmaking with the clay surface. Each section includes at least one demonstration of a work in progress from start to finish. The printmaking chapter is the largest and includes eight demos. These demonstrations are meant to showcase a general technique rather than create an identical copy of the work.My favorite part of the book is the beautiful artwork throughout. I may even buy a second copy to cut out and frame some of this vast array of gorgeous art. Captions for each piece include artist, title, size and a basic description of techniques used. My favorite is "Madame Butterfly", a whimsical piece that combines acrylic airbrush with scratching techniques. I also loved the many black and white wildlife images. There is a great material resource directory and a helpful index in the back. I admit I have not really tried any of the techniques shown here. I think they are a bit above me as a beginning artist. I would definitely buy the book again though just for the example images and the inspiration they provide to encourage me to develop my own skills.

Is it really about scratchboard?

I bought this book online, without having physically seen it before. For this reason my first impression was not the best. In fact, at first glance it didn't appear to contain any scratchboard work at all. Scratchboard, to me, is high-contrast black ink and white clay, with the possibility of color after the black and white has been rendered. You won't find this book geared to my definition. Chapters 3 and 4 contain the majority of the "black and white" pieces. Chapter 3 is small and deals pre-inked clay surfaces (like Clayboard Black). It has a few examples of the traditional scratchboard look, but most of them have color added. Chapter 4 is larger and deals with applying india ink to the white clay surface. I have to admit, there are some really nice pieces in this chapter, but rather than looking like scratchboard, they tend to look more like ink and wash. My favorite is the one mentioned in the main review, with four ravens dancing on a fallen totem pole. Very nice.A careful look does reveal some nice "traditional" scratchboard pieces done on Essdee Scraperboard, but they are few. This book is not about working with Essdee Scraperboard, it is about working with Claybord. Strangely enough, there are pieces that have no scratching at all, including some excellent contributions by Stephen Quiller. I think the book is poorly titled. It should be called Claybord: Clay-Surface Techniques and Materials for Today's Artist. It was written by the inventor of Claybord, and is essentially an instruction manual on how to work with a variety of media on Claybord. I don't have a problem with a book on Claybord. Some might even argue that Claybord IS the new scratchboard. Fine, why not put Claybord in the title? I just think the title should be descriptive of the book's contents.Since the overview of the contents is explained in the main review I won't go into too much depth. Charles Ewing explains his own development as an artist, his discovery of scratchboard, and the needs that drove him to create a new product (Claybord). He never claims to be a traditional "scratchboarder" and in fact, he says "By traditional scratchboard standards, I was far from being labeled a purist then, and I'm afraid the little purity I had has further degenerated in the intervening years". This book is about very untraditional methods. He does go through a history of using scratches for making art, the development of scratchboard, and an explanation of clay as a surface for making art. He goes on to demonstrate at least some of what is possible with a clay surface. The techniques are well explained and the writing flows well. This is a "picture" book so I have to admit I haven't read it word for word.Basically, if you lose the expectation that you are going to learn about traditional scratchboard this is a pretty nice book. If enjoy experimentation and the exploration of media and surfaces, you will be happy with what you find. On the other hand, if you are looking for traditi

Valuable Information about Scratchboard Medium

This book is awesome in not only covering the little known subject of scratchboard art; but in the quality of artwork, and the highly informative and lovely presentation. A must for anybody who loves to draw and is curious to try the new changes in scratchboard as a professional art panel. Enough info & inspiration for a long time. Good for both beginner and advanced artists.