Scraperboard
Scraperboard is a Sgraffito medium. The process I practice is the reverse from usual mark making. Each work is a unique one off piece of art not a print.
I begin with a black board and gradually remove parts of it’s thin dark surface to reveal the white china clay beneath. Each stroke you scratch with the Scraperboard will uncover the white layer beneath the dry black ink. Slowly the elements in the artwork start to pull together.
I use craft scalpels, modelling tools also work well. It is vital for a crisp line that your blades and knives are razor sharp at all times. While working I keep an small oiled carborundom stone beside me and re-sharpen the tools as I go along.
Sgraffito
A form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting colour, typically done in plaster or stucco on walls, or in slip on ceramics before firing.
