SRP Art Class :: Homemade Scratch Art

For the first week of art class, we made homemade scratch art. To make this project at home, you will need:

Heavy Paper (watercolor paper, card stock, or tagboard work well)
Crayons
Black Tempera Paint
Dish Soap
Foam Brushes
Things to scratch with (toothpicks, bamboo skewers, paperclips, etc)
Newspaper (to catch your drips)
Bowls (to put the paint in)

Step 1: Color your entire paper. This will create a barrier between the paint and the paper, to stop your paper from getting too soggy. This will also be the part of your image that shows when you scratch off the top layer. Bright colors, laid down rather thickly, work the best.

Step 2: Mix paint with a few drops of liquid dishsoap and then apply to the top of your colored paper. Make sure the paint and soap are mixed together well before you apply paint. Let dry completely before moving on to step 3. (Just pretend that I remembered to take a picture of this step, instead of just "painting" the last image in photoshop. It was getting kinda hectic at the library by this point!)

Step 3: Using a scratching implement, scratch off your desired image. This particular image was made by the teacher of our art class. She's a local artist. It's always nice to have the community share their skills at the library!

If you make this project at home, please leave a link in the comments so I can take a look!

Comments

[Kimi]

ohh, how fun! who knew the soap and paint would make it able to scratch!! i totally love this!

[Audrey]

You can use Indian Ink for the black

[Amy]

This looks so fun. Thanks for posting how to do it!

[michelle]

I am always looking for new projects for my kids in the summer. This looks like a great one, thanks!

[chelle]

I LOVE making scratch paper. I usually just use black crayon on top, but then you get little waxy black pieces everywhere after scratching. Not a good idea on a padded church pew, for instance.

[maja]

you can also use old calendars pages or old xmas cards,then you cover them with mixture of tempera paint and egg yolk.leave it to dry.then you scratch.It is grate.darker shades of paint works better(dark green,blue,orange,red).the rule is if the picture is lighter u use darker color and if it is darker u use brigther coler.enjoy and try.it better works with proper tempera then with ready mix.it is not good if it is to liquid paint.regards maja

[the country cook @ Delightful Country Cookin]

I remember doing this as a kid! It was soooooo cool. Thanks for reminding me! - www.delightfulcountrycookin.com

[M salzberg]

I did this exact project in 2 grade and I'm 42! I remember my teacher mixing in the dishsoap. Simple but a favorite childhood memory

[abcgirl]

hey chica,

i was thinking about doing this project on old, discarded board books and skipping the crayola part. do you think that'd work? how long did it take to dry?