Scratchboard

Artist Statement:

The main idea behind this piece was to create a realistic scratchboard drawing that was true to my image. My inspiration for the piece was my cat. I wanted to make him the subject of my drawing because he has interesting patterns with his fur that would be cool to represent in this format. My overall goal for this artwork was to create a realistic piece that remained true to my photograph.

My piece was made with various scratchboard materials on scratchboard. I used the red tool when creating areas that were the most white, as it was the sharpest. I used a tool with multiple lines for the majority of my piece, as it created a gray that I liked. I also used a pencil to trace my image when I first started the piece because it created an outline on the scratchboard for me to work off of. 

My first step was to create the value strip. This helped me to get a feel for the tools I was using, as scratchboard is entirely new to me. It helped me to understand different ways of shading. My next step was to start working on my final piece. I started by taping my image on the scratchboard and tracing important information with a pencil. This went through the paper without scratching the board, giving me an outline to use as a reference. I started with the ears so that I could get more used to the material without doing anything too important, like the eyes. I then created the rest of my drawing, making sure I created lines moving in the right direction. I made the choices I did to create a realistic piece that was true to my image.