MATERIALS
• Reference photograph
• Ampersand scratchboard
•Craft knife (Xacto knife)
• Fibreglass brush
• Ampersand Black Repair Ink
• Small paint brush
• Cotton gloves or cloth
• White graphite transfer paper
• Stylus or biro
• White Stabilo Pencil
• Eraser
• Spray varnish
STEP ONE
Firstly, choose a suitable image. Make a line drawing of it, use moderate pressure and transfer the line drawing onto the scratchboard using the white graphite paper and stylus or biro.
STEP TWO
Beginning with the long hair on the left ear, use the craft knife (Xacto knife) and make long scratches as shown. Make sure to follow the direction in which the hair is growing.
STEP THREE
You may wish to add the intense highlights to the hair on the left ear before you move on by brushing over the top of the already scratched area with the fibreglass brush, or leave and add later.
STEP FOUR
Continue with short overlapping scratches for the short hair as you work your way across the top of the head.
STEP FIVE
Work the right ear in the same manner as the left ear.
STEP SIX
For the shorter hair between the eyes and towards the nose, make much shorter scratches.Use the reference photograph as a guide to show the varying lengths of the hair. Also take note of the dark and light shading – remembering the lighter the scratches the darker they will appear.
STEP SEVEN
Stipple the nose by pouncing the knife in an up and down motion. Use more pressure to create the highlights.
STEP EIGHT
Add slighter longer scratches on either side of the nose, muzzle and under the mouth with a few extralong hairs added on the chin.
Whiskers are added when face is completed.
STEP NINE
Leave the left eye black apart from the hint of the catch light with some light scratches to indicate the eye is round. Place some very light short scratches underneath and along the bottom of the eyelid and add a few longer hairs above the eye.
STEP TEN
Right Eye: Leave the pupil area black and make tiny short scratches around the pupil. Use more pressure and add a catchlight and a few more scratches underneath as shown. Add highlights along the bottom of the eye as well as the area in the right corner.
FINAL STEP
All of the highlights in the hair have been added by brushing over the already scratched areas with the fiberglass brush.
Add your signature and spray varnish.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Convert the image to greyscale on a computer as this helps to show the highlights and shading.
• The fibreglass brush has been used to achieve the intense highlights in the dog’s hair. Once you have put the initial scratches in place with the craft knife, brush over the top with the fibreglass brush to create the highlights. Use it in the same manner as you would the craft knife; the more pressure you use the more ink will be removed.
• Make sure as much detail as possible is shown in the drawing before transferring to the board i.e. hair direction, the graphite lines will not show once scratched over. Pay specific attention to the light and dark areas.
• When the drawing has been completed and the transfer paper removed and you find that some of the transfer lines have been missed, lightly draw them in with the Stabilo pencil.
• It is best to start with light scratches initially as they can be strengthened with a second layer of scratches later. Some people prefer to scratch out the whole image as if mapping it out before placing in highlights et cetera, whereas others prefer to complete one area before moving onto the next.
• (It is advisable to wear a face mask to prevent breathing in any fibreglass particles, and cotton gloves when using a fibreglass brush.)
• Wear the cotton gloves whilst working on the board, particularly in hot and humid weather, this is to prevent the oil from your skin marking the board or alternatively, place a cotton towel under your wrist and arm where it might lie on the board. The gloves will also help prevent any fibreglass splinters ending up in your fingers.
Use sharp blades.
• Minor mistakes can be repaired by re-inking with Ampersand Black Repair Ink and then lightly re-scratching. Also if you need to strengthen the shading after maybe scratching away too much ink, or if you just need to darken further, re-ink by using the paint brush and Black Repair and paint a light wash over the area, or, depending on how dark the shading needs to be, paint in a few washes and re-scratch.
