Scratchboard and Watercolor

Combining the mediums of scratchboard with watercolor can produce some beautiful results. Here’s what you’ll need: 

SUPPLIES:

• Finished Scrathboard Piece
• Watercolors
• Small paint brushes
• Palettes (A styrofoam plate works well)
• Paper Towels
• Containers with Water

1. Place your finished scratchboard piece on your work space. Now that the drawing is completed, let’s add the watercolors. Decide the colors you need by looking at your reference photo and squeeze a very small amount of each color on your palette. Remember, when using watercolors, a little bit of paint goes a long way, and because we will only be painting the white areas, there will be even less to cover.

2. Using a very small brush, dip into the water and then the paint. Paint in the white areas, using your reference photo as a guide. If an area on your photo is white, just leave the white that you’ve already scratched. If you want a color to appear darker, add more paint after the first layer has dried.

Below are some examples of scratchboard I colored with watercolors for the book Firefly Night.