#asktheartist

Jul 14, 2021
3 min

Care For A Finished Scratchboard

Completed scratchboard artwork is sprayed with a protective varnish and are actually more durable than you might think - considering the whole medium is scratching! I use a Golden Archival varnish with a matte finish on every single completed scratchboard. This varnish protects the artwork from dirt, moisture, UV damage, and MINOR scratches. The protective layer can be scratched through with a sharp tool or gouged with a sharp object, so the artwork does need to be protected

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The Ins and Outs of Applying to Juried Art Festivals

melissahelene

Jun 3, 2021
6 min

The Ins and Outs of Applying to Juried Art Festivals

Welcome to my three part series about juried art festivals! This first section will be all about applying for shows - the research process, organizing your data, preparing to submit applications, paying fees, and tracking important dates and information. If you want to apply for multiple shows in a year (or even on the same weekend - we'll get to that), then this process can get quite complicated...but with a little organization, it can be less stressful. First, let's discuss

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Scratchboard Tutorial: Creating Realistic and Soft Fur Textures

melissahelene

May 20, 2021
3 min

Scratchboard Tutorial: Creating Realistic and Soft Fur Textures

Today's post is all about FUR! I use a combination of the small fiberglass brush and an x-acto knife to create realistic looking fur. There are several ways to render fur on scratchboard, but I'm going to talk about my specific processes and methods. The first step in almost all of my scratchboard textures is the small fiberglass brush. I use this tool to put in the first layer of scratches, which helps establish the flow of the fur (the direction in which the individual hair

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melissahelene

Apr 22, 2021
3 min

Scratchboard Techniques: Black vs White

My scratchboard artwork is all black and white (with many variations of grey), but the approach I take for creating a mostly 'white' animal and a mostly 'black' animal can be very different. When I'm out showing my work, I often get asked how I draw black animals on a board that is already completely black. The answer to that question is LIGHT...and form, but mostly light, light, light. That question also assumes that creating a white animal is easier, when, at least for me,

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melissahelene

Apr 8, 2021
2 min

Tool Feature: The Other Tools in my Kit

There are two tools in my scratchboard tool kit that I use on EVERY SINGLE piece that I create - the small fiberglass brush and x-acto knife - but you won't find them here. This post is about all the other tools that are in my kit. They may not be used as often as my two favorites, but they do have specific purposes and can be used in different ways. Let's dive in! Most of these tools came from a scratchboard tool set that I got when I first started learning scratchboard. The

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melissahelene

Mar 11, 2021
3 min

Scratchboard Tool Feature: Inks

Fixing Mistakes One of the most common questions that I get asked, especially at art festivals, is about fixing "mistakes" on a scratchboard. I use quotes on mistake because it's artwork and it can be whatever I want - so mistakes are completely subjective. BUT I know what they mean is, how do you change marks that you've put down on a scratchboard if you can't erase them? The short answer is...India ink pens and scratchboard ink washes. The more in-depth answer that I usuall

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Scratchboard Tool Feature: The X-Acto Blade

melissahelene

Feb 10, 2021
2 min

Scratchboard Tool Feature: The X-Acto Blade

The X-Acto blade is the second most important tool in my kit. This tool is very easy to get your hands on - you can find it in any arts and craft store and many other places because it serves so many different functions. I use the x-acto knife in many different ways - the first of which is to create the striking and individual details in each of my scratchboard wildlife portraits. Unlike the fiberglass brush that creates many very fine strokes within one pull of the tool, the

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Frequently Asked Questions | Third Edition | Scratchboard

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
4 min

Frequently Asked Questions | Third Edition | Scratchboard

Welcome to the Third Edition of the Frequently Asked Questions series where I answer, in greater depth, all of your burning questions about scratchboard and my wildlife artwork, specifically. Let's dive it! #1 Where Do I Find the Extra Thin (or Mini) Fiberglass Brush? My favorite tool is the small fiberglass brush. I use it for EVERY piece that I create. It is the most VERSATILE tool in my kit. The brush can be used to create soft and fluffy fur textures, smooth skin and the

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Frequently Asked Question | Second Edition | Scratchboard Wildlife Artwork

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Frequently Asked Question | Second Edition | Scratchboard Wildlife Artwork

Hey there everyone! I am back with the second edition of my Frequently Asked Questions blog post series. I will be answering more of the questions I get asked at every art festival in greater length here and hope that it makes things more clear for you. Scratchboard is not a well known artistic medium, so I'm happy to be able to give you a glimpse into the world of highly detailed, photorealistic, black and white scratchboard wildlife artwork! Here we go! #1 How do you fix a

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Everything You've Asked About Scratchboard | Edition One | Frequently Asked Questions

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
3 min

Everything You've Asked About Scratchboard | Edition One | Frequently Asked Questions

Fine art scratchboard is a rare medium that most people are not familiar with in an intimate way like they may be with photography or oil painting or pottery or any number of more common artistic mediums. I've been showing my scratchboard wildlife artwork for five years and I get asked the same set of questions over and over as people at art festivals and galleries try to familiarize themselves with it. With all of you in mind, I decided to create this blog series to answer t

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Scratchboard: What the heck is it?

If you’re new to the world of scratchboard, this post is for YOU! Though an old medium previously used for illustration, scratchboard is not well known to a large portion of the general public and even within the arts community. It is experiencing a resurgence and gaining more acclaim in the world of the arts due in large part to the creation of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) in 2011 and continued work by individual artists. So now, what the heck IS

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Melissa Helene | Scratchboard Artist | [Re] Introduction

Hey there everyone! I took a little bit of a hiatus from blogging recently and am ready to get back to it, offering great new content about scratchboard artwork and processes, behind the scenes of my business and scratchboard techniques, pet portrait projects, wildlife and wild place features, new installments of my Endangered Species Series (ESS), and personal posts about adventure, travel, backpacking and hiking. I’m really excited to share my journey as we all navigate a

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MH