"Second Line," scratchboard engraving, 16 x 20, 2020
This piece was included at the Woodmere Art Museum's exhibit called "Seeing the Story," curated by Caldecott medalist David Wiesner. The museum purchased my drawing, making it my second work in their permanent collection.
Scratchboard engraving was developed in the 19th century to replace wood, linoleum, and metal engraving and was originally used in for book and newspaper illustration because it could be reproduced without losing detail.
Scratchboard is a hardboard surface covered in fine white clay and coated with ink. The ink is scraped away with any sharp tool (I use a variety of sewing and upholstery needles and an Exacto knife) to reveal the whites beneath. I work out my composition thoroughly first on tracing paper, then trace the drawing onto the scratchboard with Saral brand transfer paper. Then I carefully being the drawing process with an Exacto knife, developing the light areas very slowly and methodically as they cannot be easily fixed.