Saturday, April 30, 2011

New itch to Scratch....

 

 P.E.N. Studio has a new creative itch.  I scratched the surface and this is my first experimental piece involving Scratchboard ART. 


In the Eye of the Beholder
(click on the title to learn more about this piece)
P.E.N. Studio - Scratchboard - 5 X 7


What is scratchboard you ask?  
Scratchboard art is a form of direct engraving. The panel starts out solid black and then the artist scratches to expose a layer of white clay under black ink. The working surface is a three layer medium made up of a 1/8" masonite panel as a support (Ampersand Sratchboard is what P.E.N. experimented on)  The masonite is covered with smooth white clay followed by a thin layer of black India ink, leaving a solid black panel to start with. Various tools are used to scratch through the black ink and reveal the white clay below. Every line, dot and dimple is created by hand all with lines and dots and variation in tone and value are based on how many lines are scratched in a particular area or how much of the white clay that your eye sees. Colored inks can be added to the exposed white areas of the work if desired or the board can be left black and white. Large and complex pieces can take hundreds of hours to be completed due to the many layers of tiny scratches that cover the board. 

 My second piece/attempt with the medium
  
(click on the title to learn more about this piece)
Wine from Scratch
Trying a different technique
 P.E.N. Studio - Scratchboard - 5 X 7

Other Scratchboard Links:

One learns to itch where one can scratch.

Thanks for Visiting!
Art from the ♥ Tennessee !



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