Scratchboard - a drawing technique for children

Children get the opportunity to express themselves in creativity starting from a young age. Preschool education allows the child to realize his or her abilities in the fine arts. Teachers use various drawing techniques, sometimes even non-traditional ones. One of these techniques is grattage.

Scratchboard as an unconventional but popular way of drawing

Scratchboard is a drawing technique for children, the basis of which is the use of a sharp device for scratching a picture on dark-colored paper. The resulting compositions are contrasting. The name of the technique is of French origin: in translation, gratter sounds like "scratch" or "scrape". Experts also call the technique waxography.

This art direction was popular in the first half of the 20th century. In Russia it was called grattography. The technique was used by artists who created unusual and fantastic canvases.

One of the first to use the technique in 1922 was the artist M. Dobuzhinsky, when he took on the design of Fyodor Dostoevsky's book "White Nights". The Lithuanian graphic artist D. Tarabildienė illustrated the publication "100 Folk Ballads" using the same technique.

Today, painters rarely use grattage in their work. There are only a few specialists who master it perfectly. For example, the American artist Cristina Penescu creates realistic-looking animal images on canvases.

Specifics of organizing wax painting classes in preschool educational institutions

In kindergarten, preschoolers can easily be interested in unusual drawing techniques. It is within the power of children from 3-4 years old, however, experts recommend starting with children of middle age groups. The technique requires a certain amount of strength and developed fine motor skills of the hands.

For a child, such a composition is associated with magic. They watch with delight as, after scratching, images of bizarre ornaments begin to appear from the dark surface.

Scratchboard is a drawing technique for children that helps to form and develop creative skills.

Regular practice quickly brings results:

• visual-motor coordination and fine motor skills of the fingers will be improved;
• the ability to find and use graphic methods to create an expressive image is improved. These are lines, contrast and shading;
• creative imagination develops;
• children become bold in self-expression and are not shy about using different methods of creating drawings;
• it becomes possible to create beautiful pictures without any special skills. This allows children who are not very good at drawing with a brush or pencils to believe in themselves;
• give the child confidence that he can create original paintings that will please others.

The main feature of the initial stage of classes in this technique is confident work with a sharp object for drawing. Teachers first let the children get used to this kind of work, using stencils and special templates that allow them to clearly draw lines.

If the movements are blurred, the mistake will be difficult to correct, and extra strokes and lines will not be erased. By tracing the image, children train the hardness of the brush, and when they begin to get the correct images that were planned in advance, they can move on to the next level.

Older children can add original features to the stencil design. For example, in a drawing with birds, a branch or a cloud would be appropriate. In the middle groups of kindergarten, the teacher does all the preparation of materials for the lesson. However, older children are already experienced enough to help him with this.

Preparing the paper base on which the drawing will be made requires perseverance and attention. The texture of the coating should be dense and cover the entire sheet without gaps. The sequence of actions will require not being distracted by other activities, which is very difficult for children.

During the drawing process itself, the teacher must monitor the students' actions and remind them to be careful. After all, they are holding a sharp object in their hands, which can injure themselves or their neighbors.

Creating drawings using the scratchboard technique requires a certain amount of effort, concentration and desire. Before such activities, it is better to warm up your fingers and let the excess energy spill out so that the child can sit still longer.

Materials for work

Scratchboard is a drawing technique for children that requires preparation for the creative process:

Material	Description
Thick paper	A sheet of paper will be the basis of the drawing, which must withstand strong pressure without breaking under the pressure of a sharp instrument. Any cardboard will do, regardless of its color.
Candles or wax crayons, ink or thick gouache	They are necessary to create a base coat. All dark tones are welcome, ideally choose black.
Detergent and PVA glue	For example, liquid soap or shampoo. They need to be poured into gouache or ink to increase the density of the composition structure.
Large brush or sponge	Necessary for applying coloring matter to the base.
Sharp sticker	You can use a toothpick instead. They are needed to scratch out the image.
White natural fabric	It helps to carefully remove traces of work after completion.

If the classes are held in a studio, it is better to use easels as a stand. They will not allow drops of paint to linger on the sheet, all the excess will roll down, and the drawing will remain clean.

Methods of base design

When deciding to create works using the grattage technique, it is recommended to use the following options:

• do not paint over a sheet of paper or cardboard;
• select a color tone by painting the paper with the selected shade in a thick layer;
• cover the sheet with wax chalk. You can take not one, but several different colored chalks and try to distribute the color in stripes, without leaving gaps. The texture should be uniform;
• choose cardboard for work that initially has the desired shade;
• take a base that has an image on it. For example, a sheet of a flip wall calendar, a lid from a candy package or a gift box.

Rubbing with wax candle

One of the popular options is to use a wax candle to process the sheets. This is an easy way to create a good base for the drawing. When working, you need to ensure that there are no gaps on the surface.

There are several ways of rubbing:

• rub the wax evenly into the sheet, drawing as if you were holding a pencil;
• After grating the candle, melt the resulting shavings in a water bath. Spread the melted and cooled wax over the cardboard with a brush;
• Light a tea light candle on the table, which is inserted into foil and looks like a tablet. As soon as drops start to form inside, you can carefully take them with a brush and apply them to the cardboard.

Professional artists choose instead of candles:

• chalk;
• egg yolk;
• special clay.

This is difficult for beginners, but it is interesting to know about such possibilities. After the wax has cooled, a layer of gouache is applied. It should be thick enough. It is easier to work with a wide brush, making sure that there are no gaps between the rows.

Professionals advise adding liquid soap, PVA glue or another detergent to gouache before applying. Additives will prevent the artist from getting sticky spots on his hands when scratching. Such preparation will allow you to get clear and thin lines of the drawing.

Background with colored gouache

When decorating the background with colored gouache, you can use several shades. When the paint dries, the paper should be covered with wax for insurance. The background color is chosen according to the type of picture being created. For example, a seascape can be painted with blue, black and yellowish segments. They will indicate that the sea is very rough.

After the coloring pigment dries, the base is covered again with gouache, but this time in black. The drawing process is carried out as usual.

Wax crayons background

An interesting way to color the base is with wax crayons. You can choose colored or single-color crayons.

They are applied as the artist wishes:

• spots;
• stripes;
• strokes.

This background will set the mood of the future work. This process, unlike the methods described above, requires much less time and effort. Even young children can cope with this task.

The main thing is to ensure that there are no gaps, then the sheet is covered with a layer of dark gouache.

When working with gouache, you can use the following recommendation: to prevent the paint from rolling off the wax coating, it is suggested to treat it with talc. It will degrease the surface, and the paint will be easier to distribute. To do this, a thin layer of powder is poured onto the sheet and then evenly distributed over the surface with barely perceptible movements of a cotton pad.

How to paint over wax for grattage technique?

To cover the wax, it is recommended to use gouache or acrylic paint. The most popular is gouache. It is necessary to add a little soap or shampoo to ink and gouache. This will prevent rolling off the surface treated with greasy wax and distribute the layer evenly.

The following options are possible:

Material for work	Description
Mascara	Its use assumes that it will not adhere well to the wax surface and therefore it is necessary to try to make several layers. This will allow to create an even layer. At the end it is better to distribute the uncured remains of the coloring substance with a sponge or tampon.
Gouache	The dye is applied by spotting. This will enhance the adhesion of the layers, but the painting will remain less resistant to external factors.
Acrylic paint	This technique of creating canvases in the grattage style has its own peculiarities. When the material hardens on the surface, it covers it with a thin film. For clear scratching, you need to apply great efforts, otherwise the lines will be uneven, and the picture will be blurred.

Suitable children's themes for classes in the grattage technique

Children can be offered interesting themes to master the technique of drawing grattage. They will allow them to fantasize and will help to reveal emotions in the picture.

Popular in this topic are:

• natural landscapes. This could be "Snow-covered forest", "Falling leaves in the park in autumn", "Blooming leaves under the window". Children are best at making snowflakes. For winter, it is suggested to use unpainted sheets. Autumn themes require bright colors: yellow or crimson will be ideal;

• painting "Shimmering Northern Lights". It can be done using different shades and lines;
• Cityscapes. For example, a holiday with fireworks and a starry sky;
• living beings. These can be butterflies, bees, birds, peacocks with multi-colored spread tails;

• flowers. It can be a beautiful bouquet or a meadow with herbs. You can draw a houseplant in a pot;
• fruits. Apples and pears on the branches, in a vase or cut up for eating;
• underwater world. This is a colorful kingdom for experimenting with shades and shapes;

• space landscapes. Children can depict alien inhabitants, the sky or the Milky Way;
• fantasy themes. These could be pictures from fairy tales, your own ideas, or a picture you see outside the window.

Scratchboard with applique elements

Wax painting combines perfectly with various techniques, such as applique.

You can use not only elements cut out of paper, but also:

• glass bead details;
• beads;
• pieces of napkins;
• foil;
• cereals.

All this will help to create an interesting composition. For example, when making winter, you can make snowdrifts from cotton wool, the sky is decorated with stars from Swarovski crystals. Drawings for such works are best done using a template.

How to make a painting in the manner of grattage step by step

Scratchboard is a drawing technique for children that is performed in the following sequence:

1. Take a thick sheet of paper. For example, an album or watercolor sheet, cardboard.
2. Apply the segments of the future picture to the cardboard. They can then be painted in different shades. They can be in the form of stripes, spots or other shapes.
3. Paint the designated elements with paints chosen at the artist's discretion. These can be bright or pastel shades. However, it is better to give priority to light tones so that they contrast with the black base.
4. Let the paper dry.
5. After the paint layer has completely dried, rub the paper with wax. A candle or pencil is used for this procedure. The layer should be thick and even, then it will be easier to scratch the picture.
6. Check that the wax is distributed correctly over the surface.
7. Proceed to create the next layer, consisting of black ink or gouache, to which a detergent has been added. This will allow the paint to spread evenly over the surface without dripping off.
8. Wait until everything dries.
9. While waiting, make a sketch of the future drawing. If these are branches, then draw their lines. You can add leaves, butterflies sitting on them, or birds to the lines of the branches.
10. Transfer the finished sketch onto the canvas. This is done by placing it on the black surface of the base.
11. Use a pen to draw the details of the drawing with light pressure. This will allow you to make an accurate imprint on the black surface.
12. Using a sharp object, scratch the base strictly along the created outline of the sketch. The thicker the wax layer, the easier it will be to work.
13. If necessary, refine the resulting drawing by adding a few elements or strokes.

The composition can be done:

• color. To do this, the base is covered with random spots;
• black and white. The paper does not need to be coated with paints; its surface is immediately rubbed with wax and then black gouache or ink is applied to it.

Black and white compositions look like engravings from afar. It is unusual and very beautiful. Therefore, do not be afraid to experiment, creating paintings in this technique. You can even draw without using sketches. This will allow you to get an unusual and surrealistic work.

View from space

The coal-black background is perceived by many as a boundless space, so pictures on space themes are often painted on it. To make the sky deeper and more mysterious, you can add a little purple or dark red to the black tone of the base.

To make the transitions smoother and the colors deeper, it is recommended to choose oil paints and shade them, blurring the background. This solution will be easy for little artists who will like to think about extraterrestrial civilizations and aliens while drawing.

Magic tree

In this composition, the main place is given to the branches, which descend to the bottom in large curls. The base is colored with transverse stripes. As you move up, the cold colors give way to warm ones, as if they were warmed by the sun. The transitions are quite clear.

Peacock

The base consists of chaotic color spots. Thin lines of details allow to create barely noticeable color overflows. To depict a peacock, you need to move strictly along the applied lines and then a luxurious tail, head and body of the bird will appear from the blackness. After that, you can finish the small details of the drawing.

The technique of grattage painting is ancient. Pictures are created by scratching on a thick sheet of paper in black. This is an interesting art that children enjoy learning and developing their individual creative abilities.

Video about the technique of drawing Scratchboard

How to learn to draw grattage: