The Scratchboard Process
I begin by taking a photo of my
subject. Based on the photo, I create an outline of my proposed drawing. I transfer the outline of my drawing onto the scratchboard. Then, I scratch tiny lines to create the "light" in my drawing. I am not working in reverse. Once this is completed, I go over the drawing many times slowly building up my figure until the artwork is complete.
I use museum quality scratchboard by Ampersand that can be scratched with a X-ACTO knife, tattoo needle or scratchboard scraper. This board has a white kaolin clay surface and is evenly coated with black ink. A scratchboard drawing can easily take 30 to 100s of hours to complete.