hey Axl,

I am not sure if it would work or not. The clay used in Ampersands boards Kaolin clay and is pretty hard stuff. Not sure if plaster would be hard enough?

You can get the boards through Dick Blick if none are available locally. They are cheaper there too!
http://www.dickblick.com/zz149/14/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=552%5B/URL%5D

Here is the link to the Dick Blick page of claybord black with priciing etc.

Bob

I have made my own scratchboard using heavy bristol board. The trick is getting the ink on evenly. Clayboard is something I have never used. It is too expensive when I need to be buying paper and inks for my printmaking. Give this a try before you invest in pre-coated scratchboard. Oh, another thing that is nice about making your own is you can use any color ink you want

I used to have a recipe that Diana Lee (http://www.dianalee.com) gave me for making homemade scratchboard. However, I can’t seem to find it. If you email her she might still have it around.

It sounds fun but I don’t know if I would ever do it. I wouldn’t think plaster of paris is the best thing to use. I think it holds a lot of moisture and would probably buckle and crack after a while with changes in humidity. I would look for some kind of clay, but I don’t have a clue where I would look. Who knows, maybe it’s possible to make great scratchboard from scratch For me, the pre-made scratchboard works just fine. I purchase high-quality scratchboard and it’s a pleasure to use.

Poor quality scratchboard (thin postcard-like stuff at most art stores) is terrible and not worth any money at all. If someone gave me 1000 sheets of it I would turn them over and use the white back side for sketching or to make yard sale posters. I might even use them for birdcage liners…if I had a bird.

When I look back at all the art materials I have purchased, scratchboard has to be in the running for giving the most bang for the buck. I can’t understand why people say it’s expensive. For a 24″ × 36″ sheet of Claybord Black you will pay $22 plus shipping from Dick Blick or some other mail order place. A 19″ x 24″ sheet of Essdee Scraperboard will cost $17 plus shipping. I buy these sizes because I can cut them down into smaller sizes and overall they are cheaper. Considering the amount of time it takes me to cover the surface of these boards with meaningful scratches, I’d say they are a bargain. The largest scratchboard piece I have ever done is about 11×14 so I get a lot of mileage out of a single board.

Even the scratch tool are not expensive. I use #16 xacto blades almost exclusively. A box of 100 lasts a long, long time.

If I can find that recipe I will post it.

Russ

Ampersand’s Claybord also comes in white which has not been sprayed with black ink. You can ink in only the areas you wish to ink leaving a white background. Something I will be trying in the near future myself.

Bob

[i]Originally posted by myorca [/i]
[B]hey Axl,

I am not sure if it would work or not. The clay used in Ampersands boards Kaolin clay and is pretty hard stuff. Not sure if plaster would be hard enough?

You can get the boards through Dick Blick if none are available locally. They are cheaper there too!
[URL=http://]http://www.dickblick.com/zz149/14/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=552[/URL]

Here is the link to the Dick Blick page of claybord black with priciing etc.

Bob [/B]

Bob,

Thanks so much for the recommendation. Since there are several posts here mentioning scratchboards, I want to redirect people instead to another page at Dick Blick, which will give you an overview of all scratchboard art materials and tools:

Scratchboard Art
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/scratchboardart/

Somebody else in this thread mentions cheap scratch paper and paper-thin boards. As you can see on our Scratchboard Art page, there is both professional and scholastic grade board available.

Scratchboard art is a great scholastic media, but there is no way that schools can afford the best stuff, like the Esdee Scratchboards. Don’t buy an amateur material and expect it to perform like a pro.

One more thing is that a lot of people use Claybord as both an additive and subtractive surface. You can paint on Claybord with acrylic, gouache, and other waterbased paints. Then you can scratch through the paint.

To get a nice even application of color, try airbrushing onto the Clayboard surface with a fluid acrylic paint. A fairly simple airbrush set-up, such as a single-action brush, is adequate for preparing scratchboard art surfaces.

Howard Metzenberg
Internet Strategist
Dick Blick Art Materials

Schools are limited in what they can spend money on. Adults are also limited, but more likely to spend a little extra if they think it will make a difference. In this case it will. It will make a big difference. I guarantee it.

Don’t buy an amateur material and expect it to perform like a pro.

I don’t expect amateur material to perform at all and that is why I run around waving my arms, trying to get people not to buy it. Unfortunately scratchboard is often poorly labeled and those buying it aren’t able to make clear choices. They need to know that “professional scratchboards” aren’t just for professionals, and they are practically mandatory for working this medium without frustration and anguish. (the link actually shows Essdee’s commercial grade – their professional grade is thicker, but not worth the extra money in my opinion)

With the popularity of the Internet, Dick Blick, Daniel Smith, and other mail order companies that carry professional scratchboard are becoming more accessible to potential customers. Their web pages are easier to find and their sites are improving, with more products online, and better descriptions to go along with those products. This is a fairly recent development. When I started with scratchboard 10 years ago it certainly wasn’t the case. I had no idea that professional scratchboard even existed, let alone where to find it. I was at the mercy of the local art stores, which sold (and still sell) scratchboard without labels, instructions, precautions…zip, zero, nada, not even a brand name in some cases. I did my best with what I could find and prayed that I wouldn’t scratch too hard and tear the paper. I wasn’t in scratchboard hell forever, thank goodness. My break came when I read a Communication Arts article about Mark Summers. He recommended Essdee Scraperboard, and I figured if it was good enough for the most popular scratchboard artist in the world, it was good enough for me. It’s awesome.

Since then I’ve been an evangelist for quality scratchboard and I try to help people avoid the pitfalls that I experienced.

Russ