Scratchboard

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A special clay-coated board is the foundation

for scratchboard technique.  The darkest areas of the portrayed image are painted solid black with several layers of dilute ink while, the lightest areas are left white.  After the ink has dried, white lines can be scratched into the black areas to incorporate detail. Using pen and ink, details can be added to the light areas of the image, completing the high contrast black and white drawing.  This technique is particularly useful in illustrating highly textured subjects such as those with fur or feathers.