• HOME

  • ABOUT

    • Accomplishments
    • Events
    • Galleries
  • SCRATCHBOARD

    • Pet Portrait Commissions
    • Wildlife Commissions
    • Testimonials
    • Terms & Conditions
  • WORKSHOPS

  • SHOP

    • Small Originals
    • Medium Originals
    • Large Originals
    • Current Reproductions
    • Discontinued Reproductions
  • COLOR-CODED CREATIVES

  • BLOG

  • CONTACT ME

  • More

    Use tab to navigate through the menu items.
    • White Instagram Icon
    • w-facebook
    0
    • All Posts
    • Color-Coded Creatives
    • Melissa Helene Scratchboard
    Search
    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
    127 views0 comments
    Scratchboard Lesson in Techniques and Strokes | Melissa Helene
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 3 min

    Scratchboard Lesson in Techniques and Strokes | Melissa Helene

    Basic Scratchboard Drawing Techniques Scratchboard artwork requires a lot of patience and time, but also experimentation with the tools to achieve the textures that you desire. Some techniques also combine two or more of the strokes I'll discuss in this post to accomplish. The first graphic in this post shows the same stroke with different tools - the fiberglass brush in the first column and the X-Acto knife in the middle column - the third column highlights a little of both
    1,078 views0 comments
    How to Create Black Fur on Scratchboard | Tips + Techniques
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    How to Create Black Fur on Scratchboard | Tips + Techniques

    Scratchboard Tips and Techniques - Take One! I get asked all the time if and how it is possible to draw a black animal on a scratchboard that is already completely black. Well, today I am going to dive into that very topic and explain how to scratch into the board to create black fur, hair, or feathers. The key to creating the illusion of black fur and still retaining the realistic quality and details is to focus on the LIGHT! Think about a black dog or cat, especially if yo
    178 views0 comments
    African Elephant | Endangered Species Series
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    African Elephant | Endangered Species Series

    African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Quick Facts: Status: Threatened Population: 470,000 Height: 8.2 - 13 ft Weight: 5,000 - 14,000 lbs Average Lifespan: up to 70 years Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests, Flooded Grasslands and Savannahs, Miombo woodlands, Acacia savannahs Range: Central and Southern Africa Diet: Herbivores - roots, grasses, fruit, and bark; they consume up to 300 lbs in one day African Elephants are the largest land animals and are sl
    7 views0 comments
    Bonobo | Endangered Species Series
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    Bonobo | Endangered Species Series

    Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Quick Facts: Status: ENDANGERED Population: 10,000 - 50,000 individuals Height: 28 - 35 in Weight: 68 - 86 lbs Habitat: Rainfoorest Range: Congo Basin Diet: Frugivores - half their diet is fruit, supplemented with insects, worms, eggs, and small animals The bonobo, also known as the pygmy chimpanzee, is smaller, leaner, and darker than the chimpanzee with pink lips and a smaller head and ears, though they both share 98% of their DNA with humans - making
    7 views0 comments
    Amur Leopard | Endangered Species Series
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    Amur Leopard | Endangered Species Series

    Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) Quick Facts: Status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Population: around 60 individuals Body Length: up to 5 feet Weight: 70 - 105lbs Lifespan: 10 - 15 years Habitat: temperate, broadleaf, and mixed forests Diet: roe and sika deer, hares, badgers, mice, and other small animals The amur leopard, the world's rarest cat, is found in the northern-most part of the species' range, Far East Russia. This rare species has adapted to life in the temperat
    2 views0 comments
    Orangutan | Endangered Species Series
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    Orangutan | Endangered Species Series

    Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Quick Facts: ENDANGERED Population: 40,000 (down from 60,000 just a decade ago) Height: 4 to 5 ft Weight: 73 - 180 lbs Arm Span: males may stretch their arms up to 7 ft Average Life Span: 30 - 40 years Habitat: tropical rainforest Range: Sumatra and Borneo (the only species of ape to come from Asia) Diet: fruit, leaves, bark, insects, and on rare occasions, meat The long-haired, orange primates are closely related to humans (sharing 97% of the same
    0 views0 comments
    Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) | Endangered Species Series
    melissahelene
    • Sep 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) | Endangered Species Series

    Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Average Weight: females - 5-8kg, males - 6-12kg Grouping: predominantly solitary with complex social hierarchies based on a dominant male with territory that overlaps several females and sub-ordinate males on the periphery Range: Australia - NE Queensland to Eyre Peninsula in the south Habitat: temperate, sub-tropical and tropical forests, woodlands, and semi-arid eucalypt areas Population: fewer than 80,000 in the wild, may be as few as 43,000
    2 views0 comments

    MH

    Scratchboard - melissahelene.mason@gmail.com

    Business Coaching - colorcodedcreatives@gmail.com

    Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimer   |   Terms of Use

    • White Instagram Icon
    • w-facebook

    All rights reserved.