This was a fun project. It involves techniques used by inuit sculptors in Canada, we learned particularly about Cape Dorset, to scratch away paint on a clay slab and create art. In my piece I decided to create a box turtle. Box turtles have a large, tall shell that fit the shape of my clay nicely. In the piece the turtle is tucked in, hiding from any threats it may encounter. For the designs, I decided to go with a combination of relatively meaningless geometric designs, and different symbols and pictures of things that resinate with me. This project relates to my life through the several designs I included that mean something to me.

To make this project i used a number of different tools for the three mediums. For the paper, I simply used graphite pencils to draw out my design. For the scratchboard, I used primarily the multi-use tool with the serrated side to sketch out more or less where I would include the highlights on the piece. And finally, for the clay, I used a combination of scratching tools including (but not limited to) knives, looped scratch tools, and pin-point scratch tools.

While creating this piece, I learned exactly how to scratch away the surface of a clay slab to make a mural of various designs and features of my life. I experimented using different tools, and when one didn't work the way I planned, I tried another. To start this project I began by choosing a slab of clay from a selection, I wanted to be able to picture my idea from the start, and I already knew that I didn't want it to be small. The clay is painted with a black paint in which you can scratch off and subsequently reveal the white clay underneath. This, like the scratchboard made it so, unlike regular drawing, you are revealing the highlights instead of revealing the shadows. I took my time choosing, and I looked from slab to slab, new ideas were coming up. I decided to take the largest one left and from there I could start. I could see the turtle, but not immediately did I realize that I could shape the clay by aggressively shaving off portions of the sides, I used this later though. The first step from here was to trace the shape of the clay onto a piece of paper in order to get an idea of how you want your design to look. I did this as quickly as possible knowing I only had two days to finish this project. I traced it out and drew my turtle. When it looked good I moved onto scratchboard. Again, I traced the clay out with a pencil and scratched the highlights out with a scratch tool. I don't think that I went as into detail on this part as Mrs.Medsker would've liked me to, but I was excited to move onto the clay. I got my clay ready and once again drew out my design onto it. Once I'd done this I started to scratch out the major lines and details. Particularly the pieces of the shell, where I would be filling with designs. While doing this I accidentally pushed too hard and broke a segment of the right side off fromt he whole and thats when i decided to change tools for the first time. This was okay though because Mrs.Medsker told me I could glue it, or start over and I wanted to glue it. I got it scratched out and added some minor final details to the main body of the turtle. I added the turtles eye and his many chins and then I could start my design process. I began with the snail shell looking thing in the middle of the turtle, I started with my geometric designs with plans to spend more time and braincells on the meaningful things later. This first design was pretty random, but I continued scratching. The first design also is probably my least favorite in the whole piece, mainly because it is big and takes up alot of space, and it also has no meaning. I continued working on scratching and started working on the next design to the right. In this one I included a bit of meaning in using the Star of David which resinates with me because of my Jewish relatives and many friends. Off of the star, I included a few more subtle details, and in the bottom right you can see a tepee which relates to the summer camp my uncle owns and I attend, the camp has several stories around the tepee and it symbolizes the camp. Above the Star of David I included some random lines and to the left of that you can see a sunset over the ocean. I included this because everyone knows that sunsets are prettier than sunrises and also I like the ocean, particularly when the sun is setting perfectly in the center of the horizon and there a small summer breeze just strong enough to make small, bumpy waves on the surface. To the left of that I included another simple design including periods of three lines perpendicular to one another. This actually has some meaning to me but only because I have been doing this design for quite a while now, probably second or third grade and I still think that it is pretty cool looking to this day. Back over to the other side again I decided that i wanted to do a sort of broken, shattered design for the edge of where the piece broke from. I did this and it came out good. Not exactly the way I imagined it but I still like it. I added some lines like before just left of the crack and continued to the broken piece. Here I followed the same broken design as I had done before and then moved on. On this side, I included some more realistic drawings and references than I had on the main side, not intentionally, though I like it. I included a sailboat in violent winds because I do some sailing during the summer, and I included a skier because I do some skiing in the winter. Then I added some mountains t the right of that with the sun, neither rising, nor setting, over the top of them. I then added some different letters, some forming words and names, others forming acronyms. I included mom, dad, wyatt, and kip, for the names of my family and dog of course. And also put down FHS, for Freeport High School, and higher up included CW, for Camp Wigwam For Boys. In addition I included my family name, DeLois, because I am proud to be a DeLois. After this I included the final details of the the turtles tucked in head and forearms, and at this point I was finished. I think that if I was to continue this project or revise it in this upcoming case, I would change the first design that I did into something that means more to me. Maybe I could do some type of map, a topographical map of Pownal or Freeport would certainly be a cool design to add.