How to make scratch art online
This is a free scratch art sheet for your browser. Underneath the black coating hides a layer of colour: a rainbow, a starry galaxy, shimmering holographic foil, gold and more. Every line you scratch reveals a thin stripe of that colour, so even a simple doodle turns into a glowing picture. It works just like the scratch-art paper from craft shops, but you can undo mistakes, change the hidden colours and start again as often as you like.
- Pick one of the eight hidden colour layers at the top.
- Choose a fine, medium or thick tip.
- Drag across the black sheet to scratch your drawing. Hold the eye button to peek at what is underneath.
- Made a mistake? Press undo, or use the Patch tool to paint black back over it.
- Need inspiration? Press Show me an idea and scratch along the dotted outline.
- Press Save picture to download or share your scratch art.
Scratch art ideas
- Night sky: choose the galaxy layer and scratch a moon, a few stars and the outline of a city or a mountain range.
- Rainbow animals: on the rainbow layer, scratch a cat, a fish or a butterfly and fill the body with stripes, dots or scales.
- Mandala: scratch circles inside circles and fill each ring with a different repeating pattern.
- Names and words: write a name in big bubble letters with the thick tip, then decorate the letters with the fine tip.
- Fireworks: short straight lines bursting out from a point look amazing on the neon or holographic layer.
- Golden doodles: the gold foil layer makes even a simple heart, crown or key look like engraved metal.
Tips for great scratch art
- Mix line widths. Use the thick tip for outlines and the fine tip for detail, hair, feathers and texture.
- Think in negative space. You are drawing light on black, so leave dark areas on purpose: they make the colours glow.
- Fill shapes with patterns. Hatching, cross-hatching, dots and zig-zags reveal more colour than a solid scratch and look more like real scratchboard.
- Peek before you commit. Hold the eye button to see where the brightest colours are and place the main part of your drawing there.
- Swap the colours afterwards. The hidden layer can be changed at any time, so try your finished drawing on every layer before saving.
What is scratchboard art?
Scratchboard (or scraperboard) is an illustration technique from the 19th century: artists covered a board with white clay and black ink, then scratched the ink away with knives and needles to create fine white lines, much like an engraving. The colourful scratch-art paper many people remember from school uses the same idea with a rainbow layer underneath. Because you can only reveal, not paint, it trains you to plan your lines and think about light and dark, and it is wonderfully relaxing.
More creative drawing games
Want to keep creating? Paint with real colours on the free online drawing board, relax with color by number, or pour sand, water and fire in thefalling sand game.
Scratch Art FAQ
What is scratch art?
Scratch art (also called scratchboard or scratch paper) is a sheet covered in black over a hidden layer of colour. Scratching away the black with a pointed tool reveals bright lines of rainbow, gold or metallic colour underneath. This online version recreates it in your browser, with no paper and no mess.
How do I scratch on a phone or computer?
Drag your finger, a stylus or the mouse across the black sheet. Choose a fine, medium or thick tip, and switch to the Patch tool to paint black back over a mistake. On a tablet with a pressure-sensitive pen, pressing harder makes the line a little wider.
Which colours can I reveal?
There are eight hidden layers: rainbow, galaxy with stars, holographic, gold foil, sunset, ocean, neon stripes and pastel candy. You can switch the layer at any time, even halfway through a drawing, and the lines you have already scratched will show the new colours.
I have no ideas. What should I draw?
Press Show me an idea: a faint dotted outline of a real doodle, such as a cat, a castle or a rocket, appears on the black sheet. Scratch along it, add your own patterns inside, and hide the outline when you are done.
Can I save my scratch art?
Yes. Save picture downloads your artwork as a PNG image (on phones it opens the share menu). Your sheet is also saved automatically in your browser, so it is still there when you come back.
Is it free?
Completely free, with no sign-up and no download. It works on phones, tablets, Chromebooks and computers.