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Glite Dictionary
scratchboard

scratchboard

1 7.9
A board with a dark top layer that you scratch to show a light layer for detailed drawings
  • noun
  • /ˈskrætʃˌbɔrd/
  • Specialized
: tablero de rasguño
  • To create depth in their work, many illustrators prefer scratchboard for its unique texture and contrast.
  • scratchboard drawing
  • scratchboard illustrations
  • prepared scratchboard

Examples

  • The artist used a scratchboard to create a beautiful image by carefully removing the dark surface.

  • Next week he got to talk to Adrian Edelman, an exuberant bushy-haired Englishman who doodled incessantly on a scratchboard to illustrate his points.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • During the workshop, participants learned how to effectively use scratchboard for detailed drawings.

Synonyms

drawing board
vsscratchboard
24 3.1

A smooth flat board you put paper on to make pictures or plans

is a coated surface meant to be scratched to reveal a lighter layer
sketch pad
vsscratchboard
4 2.7

A book of blank paper for drawing or making quick pictures

is a coated surface meant to be scratched to reveal a lighter layer
sketchpad
vsscratchboard
2 2.8

A book of blank pages for drawing

is a coated surface meant to be scratched to reveal a lighter layer
drafting board
vsscratchboard
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A smooth flat board that people use for drawing building plans

is a coated surface meant to be scratched to reveal a lighter layer
sketch block
vsscratchboard
  • UK
1 2.7

A book of blank paper for drawing quick pictures

is a coated surface meant to be scratched to reveal a lighter layer

Surface Forms

scratchboard singular
scratchboards plural

Morphology

scratchboard = scratch + board (transparent) = scratch + board

The meaning is directly a board that is scratched or intended to be scratched for creating images; components 'scratch' and 'board' are literal and productive.

Etymology

Scratchboard comes from the two English words scratch ('to scrape a surface') and board ('a flat surface'). So a scratchboard is a board with a dark top layer that artists 'scratch' away to show a lighter layer and make detailed black-and-white drawings.