A longtime favorite technique of artists and illustrators, scratchboard is a unique example of -addition by subtraction.- Unlike most traditional drawing techniques, where the artist adds outlines, tones, and shadows, the scratchboard artist scrapes away the black ink to reveal the white surface underneath.

Scratchboard is currently enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to its popularity in graphic novels, comics, advertisements, and other fine art forms.

Legendary scratchboard artist and lecturer Ruth Lozner presents an in-depth look at this...