Amazing Realistic Scratch Drawings On An Ink Coated Board

THIS IS AMAZING WORK DONE BY cathy sheeter

Many people can’t believe these realistic animal artwork is created just from scratches into an ink coated board, but that is exactly how each of this works is drawn. It is work in the amazing medium of Scratchboard, which helps bring animals and wildlife to life in a hyper-realistic way that no other medium can!!

Scratchboard is a unique medium because it is subtractive. I start with a solid black ink coated board and scratch away the ink with sharp tools to reveal a layer of white clay that is beneath the ink. The more I scratch the lighter that area will become, allowing to create a range of tones. Some of the tools used are a xacto knife, sandpaper, tattoo needles and fiberglass brushes. Because these tools leave quite fine marks, the medium is great for realistic details, especially fur and feathers! After I scratch out the animal in black and white you can choose to leave it that way or color in the scratches with transparent colored inks.

So while it can be hard to believe, every hair, dot, and dimple is scratched by hand – my works are not photographs! Large works can take several months to be completed, and even smaller ones take many hours.

“Loyalty” – Scratchboard and Ink Scratchboard Art. The eyes are colored with colored inks

He use the back corners of a xacto knife is used to carefully scratch through the black ink and reveal the white clay layer beneath

The more I scratch, the lighter it becomes. I go through between four and 10 blades for each work, as only sharp blades work well for my technique.

“Sounds in the Night”

“Spin Cycle”

A step by step work in progress – “The Interrupted Drink”

He transfer that line sketch down to the board with a white transfer paper, which gives me a “road map” of where to scratch. From there He just start scratching, often starting with a light area.  Once works are complete they are varnished with an archival spray to prevent them from scratching easily and even out all of the tones.

“The Interrupted Drink” – the finished work

“Family Reunion”

This work was scratched to black and white first and then transparent color inks were applied over the scratches, filling them in with the color.

“Racing the Wind”

“Sunshine on My Shoulders”

“Tres Banditos”

“X, Halt, Salute”

“A Taste of Spring”

“Springs Promise”

“Luminescent”

“Night Patrol”

“Dressed For Success”

“The Naturalist”

“On The Prowl”

“Zen”

Left: “Black on White” Right: “White on Black”