Ampersand Art Supply Scratchbord | 16" x 20" | 1/8" Flat Profile | Professional Scratchboard Art Panel | for Scratchboard Drawing, Illustration & Mixed Media

Scratchbord is the professional scratchboard surface trusted by award-winning illustrators, wildlife artists, and realism artists worldwide. Built on Ampersand’s premium Hardbord protected with Archiva-Seal and coated with an ultra-smooth kaolin clay ground and rich black India ink, it delivers unmatched precision for subtractive drawing, engraving-style illustration, sgraffito, and high-contrast artwork. Scratch through the black surface to reveal the white clay beneath, creating detail and tonal depth impossible to achieve on canvas, black canvas boards, black painting panels, or painted black wood panels. Unlike traditional art canvases or generic black art boards, Scratchbord is engineered specifically for scratchboard drawing and produces clean, controlled marks for hyper-realistic fur, feathers, portraiture, and black-and-white realism. Built on a rigid, warp-resistant Hardbord core, it stays perfectly flat—never tearing, bending, buckling, or wrinkling like paper scratchboards or thin craft scratch surfaces. The clay-and-ink coating allows repeated mark-making, fine rescratching, and controlled shading using scratch knives, scalpels, tattoo needles, Slice craft knives, wire brushes, fiber brushes, and oil-free steel wool (tools sold separately). Artists can also incorporate ink, airbrush, collage, and mixed media, making Scratchbord a more versatile option than standard black canvases or MDF art boards. For vibrant color work, transparent Scratchbord/Claybord Inks (sold separately) add rich, vivid tones that remain luminous on the white clay. Highlights can be rescratched for contrast, and unwanted marks can be repaired using black India ink or Ampersand Black Repair Ink—giving artists full creative control without fear of mistakes. When artwork is complete, simply seal the panel with a spray varnish and frame it without glass. Ampersand Floaterframes and Duoframes offer a clean, glare-free, gallery-style presentation that showcases every etched detail. Scratchbord reflects over 30 years of Ampersand’s dedication to museum-quality painting and drawing surfaces. Whether you’re a professional scratchboard artist or searching for a premium black drawing surface, black scratchboard panel, black art board, or black engraving panel, Scratchbord offers the most responsive, archival, and detail-focused surface available today. Handcrafted in the USA using FSC-certified materials. For beginners exploring scratchboard art, Ampersand also offers Scratchbord Kits that include a Scratchbord panel, tool, pattern, and instructions (sold separately)

• Surface for Detailed Illustration: Built for artists who demand precision, this acid-free, museum-quality panel begins with the same ultra-smooth kaolin clay surface used on Ampersand Claybord, then is coated with rich black India ink. Scratch through the surface to reveal the white clay beneath—perfect for high-contrast drawings, wildlife art, realism, hyper-detailed illustration, and subtractive scratchboard techniques with unmatched clarity.
• Warp-Resistant Hardbord Core: Crafted on Ampersand’s premium Hardbord, this rigid panel stays perfectly flat—never tearing, buckling, or wrinkling like paper scratchboards. The ultra-smooth clay surface allows tools to glide cleanly for crisp lines, textures, shading, cross-hatching, stippling, sgraffito, engraving effects, and detailed illustration.
• Repair Marks Easily: Apply transparent Scratchbord/Claybord Inks (sold separately) to the exposed white clay for rich, vivid color that stays luminous. Scratch again to refine highlights or deepen contrast. Unwanted marks or over-scratched areas can be repaired cleanly using black India ink or Ampersand Scratchbord Black Repair Ink.
• No Mounting Board Required: Unlike paper scratchboards, the 1/8" Hardbord backing provides a durable, non-flexing foundation that frames beautifully without foamcore, matboard, or other support. Perfect for professional display and conservation framing.
• Display Without Glass After Sealing: When sealed with a spray varnish, Scratchbord artwork becomes durable enough to display without glass — eliminating glare and giving the finished piece a striking, gallery-style presentation rarely possible with traditional scratchboard papers.