Diana Lee - Pensive Nude

My works are not photographs, they are scratchboard art. Scratchboard art is a form of direct etching using a sharp, pointed tool to scratch out an image. Traditional scratchboard is a three-layer medium made up of a support surface coated with a layer of smooth white kaolin clay (porcelain) and then sprayed with a layer of thin black ink. I scratch through the layer of ink, often using the tip of a surgical scalpel, to expose the white clay below, producing a black and white image. When light strikes the exposed porcelain it gives an iridescent glow. I sometimes add color to the exposed white areas of the work with inks or paint. Most scratchboard artwork can take well over 100 hours of scratching to be completed. Scratchboard is unique and produces dramatic imagery unlike any other medium. It gives the ability to create amazing detail.