Coloring books for grownups may be getting all the rage but this hasn't stopped South Korea-based design studio Lago from breaking out from the fad. "Scratch Night View," an alternative that has users scratching the surface of the artwork is totally unconventional. Instead of crayons and colored pencils, adults will make use of a stylus that looks like a fountain pen to expose the hidden beauty of the piece.
Metro says that the scratchboard-style board induces the same de-stressing therapy as coloring books, which means that those who enjoy playing with tints and lines in "Secret Garden" by Johanna Basford, "Animal Kingdom" by Millie Marotta and many more will get hooked with Lago's one-of-a-kind offering, which starts off with a somber, grey appearance and lights up into a bright nightly wonder when scraped.
The scratchboard has sketches of beautiful and intricately-drawn cityscapes, which when scratched, transform into a nighttime spectacle. Adults can scratch away the windows, edifices, cars and highways without having to worry of keeping inside the lines. By the end of the fun and elaborate scratching, views of cities such as London, New York, Hong Kong, Vegas, Budapest, Hamburg, Paris and Florence at nightfall come to life.
Lagos launched "Scratch Night View" as a Kickstarter project last Aug 26. The group is aiming to acquire $15,000 worth of donations to further the production of the scratchboards. As of this writing, it has already accumulated $9,761 and 174 backers. There will be 16 more days before the fundraising officially closes, with the whole thing wrapping up by Sept 25.
The South Korean studio touts that the boards have a lot more to do than offer art therapy. Lagos claims that these artsy boards will help one "relive your favorite travel memories by drawing an entire city view, preserve memories of beautiful night views without struggling with camera and give one-of-a-kind gift for travelers, explorers and home decor lovers."
Lago touts that "any kind of tool" will do when it comes to the scratching, but the boards will come with a Wooden Stylus. Users can also opt for a special Scratch Pen, which they will have to purchase separately. The group says that plan to add more city views and invites users to suggest what they should do next. Lago also offers different kinds of rewards depending on the amount pledged for the project.
When everything goes smoothly, those who ordered their "Scratch Night View" will get it this month as well. According to Bored Panda, one scratchboard costs $16. A post card-sized version is at $12.70 Customers who live outside of Korea can buy from Amazon (starting price at $20.50) and Etsy.