Halloween Themed Scratch Paper

Lesson Summary

Students will create Halloween themed illustrations on scratch paper. Scratch paper is coated with a layer of black ink. When the ink is scratched away, it reveals a colorful layer underneath. This is a form of direct engraving, and it produces highly detailed, precise and textured artwork. Its dark surface makes it especially well suited to a Halloween theme.

Example: an Undertale Halloween themed scratch paper illustration.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Create detailed textures and patterns using scratch paper
Design and complete an original Halloween illustration using scratch paper

Brainstorm Discussion

Halloween is celebrated each year on October 31. It is associated with elaborate costumes, haunted houses, pumpkins and, of course, candy. Centuries ago, people dressed up in costumes and went door-to-door, which is the origin of Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating.

Discuss the following questions:

What comes to mind when you think of Halloween?
What characters and themes are associated with Halloween? (e.g. vampires, werewolves, horror)
What places are associated with Halloween? (e.g. graveyards, haunted houses, night skies)
Have you ever gone trick-or-treating?
Have you ever dressed up for Halloween?
What character would you like to dress up as?

Materials

Scratch paper (a small scrap sheet for practice and a large sheet for the final artwork)
Scratching tools (wooden scraping tool)
Sketchbook
Pencil
Black marker (for corrections)

Part 1: Textures and Patterns

In the first part of the lesson, students practice making textures and patterns. They can design Halloween patterns or practice generic ones. This exercise helps students get familiar with the medium and discover the techniques they can use in their final artwork.

Practice scraping. On a scrap sheet of scratch paper, practice removing ink from the surface with the wooden scraping tool.
Practice textures. Practice drawing textures such as hatching and stippling.
Halloween patterns. Design your own Halloween themed patterns, such as bats, stars, candy and pumpkins.

Part 2: Halloween Illustration

In the second part of the lesson, students create an original Halloween illustration on a large sheet of scratch paper. Use the textures and patterns you practiced in Part 1.

Sketch your idea. Think of an original Halloween theme and sketch it in your sketchbook.
Outline. Once your idea is final, lightly draw the outline onto the large sheet of scratch paper. As you work, decide which areas will stay black and which areas will have ink removed.
Add the title. Include the title “Happy Halloween” in your illustration. Choose an appropriate font, size and layout for your design.
Fill with patterns. Fill the different parts of your artwork using the textures and patterns you practiced.
Refine. Feel free to improvise and add to your illustration. You can fix mistakes by covering them with a black marker.

Square Illustrations

Name Initial - Textures and Patterns

Terminology

Etching — The process of cutting or carving a pattern, design or picture onto a smooth surface.
Pattern — A repeated decorative design.
Typography — The art of making written text clear and visually appealing.
Font — A set of type of a particular style. The appearance of the type can vary in size, thickness, shape, and other characteristics.
Logo — A symbol made up of visual elements that represents a brand or entity.

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