untamedartists

I just got hold of some Ampersand scratchboard, 5" x 7". Prior to this I've been using the EssDee brand (English) which is superb. It's a card covered in the kaolin clay and is easy to cut. However, I thought I'd try the American Ampersand which is the clay on hardboard - very robust. I'm using the white (cream actually) rather than the black inked type. If this was EssDee I would have to colour it with inks or acrylic paints (though they are hard to scratch through) but with this brand, I've noticed that it takes coloured pencils fairly well and also watercolours sit on there quite well if you don't overdo the water and keep it fairly dry. So this piece will be a portrait of a male Borneo Orangutan with the wide cheeks. In big trouble in the wild, we really need to highlight their cause.

I'm using a variety of media - coloured pencil, watercolour, ink and of course scratches. This is the start.



Detail of the first bit a bit of scratch, ink cp and wc, massively magnified.

Very interesting so far mate. It's got personality oozing from him. I also love how the scratches integrated into the other media here.

Thanks Leigh. Here's an update. I've added common or garden texta (or marker pen for the non Aussies) to the ingredients just to see what works and what doesn't since I've never used the white scratchboard before. I'm hoping to build up a knowledge base on what I can use and what isn't worth it. As such, this can be a test piece, but if it turns out ok, great.

I'm working in layers too, so colour on, scratch off, then more colour on and more scratch off (sounds like the Karate Kid - wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off ). One of the reasons for trying marker pen is I'm hoping, being permanent, I'll be able to watercolour over it without it smudging. I haven't got any Indian ink and the fibre tip pens I use are waterbased so when I go over them with watercolour, they may well smear and that would mess things up, so I have to be careful.

As you can see, some areas look fairly well developed and others look like a child of five could have done them. As I go on, it'll all look like a child of five could have done it LOL

And finally

WOW! This piece just can't get any better mate! I love it. It's got so much depth and texture, it's very real but has a pop art sensibility to it as well! I hope you enter it into a show soon so we can hear what feedback it received!

Thanks mate. I'm humbled

It's 5" x 7" so quite a bit smaller than what's shown here (though not quite a miniature). Do you think that it would be too small to bother with the Waterhouse?

BTW, what if anything are you entering into the Waterhouse?

Hmmmm... what am I entering into Waterhouse? Perhaps a certain oil of some tiger cubs close to my heart that tonight took top honours at Frankston art show!

As for what you should enter this one is definitely a contender. I'd also look at your dung beetle, the tassie devil and the zebra eye with ticks. Any of these would be good choices...