In Mary’s workshop, we learned how to make scratchboard with different materials.  I didn’t realize how easy it was to make, and it is something I would definitely think about doing in the classroom if we needed a small project, especially it I were teaching an intro to 2d art class.  The method I chose was to use India Ink over crayon or oil pastel.  I made two self portraits in class using a camera lucida.  I took a screenshot of myself in normal zoom class mode, set up the camera and started to draw.  I was happy because this related to the project I did in Studio Explorations, where I used the camera lucida to take “snapshot” drawings of my kids in domestic life.  Here are my images.  The materials I used were: colored crayons, a white oil pastel for the black and white version, the small awl from our book binding kit, and the Canson multimedia paper that came in the kit Jean sent us.  (7″ x 10″ sheets)  I also used black and white Posca markers in the B&W image ti dix a few areas.  They work very well because they are so opaque, and they can also be scratched off.

The process could be a little frustrating for two reasons.  First, in areas where I hadn’t entirely coated the paper with crayon or oil pastel, the ink stuck and I couldn’t change it.  Second, scratching with the awl wasn’t ideal because it wasn’t possible to vary the line weight, but I think using different tools would help with that.