scratchboard

[skrach-bawrd, -bohrd]

noun

1. a cardboard coated with impermeable white clay and covered by a layer of ink that is scratched or scraped in patterns revealing the white surface below.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scratchboard¹

First recorded in 1925–30; scratch + board

Example Sentences

“I’m thrilled with Nico Delort’s striking black-and-white scratchboard artwork for ‘The Hunger Games’ and feel it will have the same lasting influence on a new generation of Panem readers.”

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Ms. Noomin drew her work on white scratchboard, a labor-intensive form of engraving where the artist scratches off ink to reveal a black layer beneath.

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This lavishly illustrated multilingual alphabet book with colorful scratchboard drawings isn’t about inclusion, it is inclusion.

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The show consists of original scratchboard drawings.

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Samworth’s principal medium is scratchboard, a style of drawing that’s effectively engraving.

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