I’m using a combination of digital and traditional mediums to create the illustrations for the Plankton Artscipaedia. To create the individual plankton I used scratchboard. To create a scratchboard illustration you need india ink which is applied to a clay covered board, and sharp tools to scratch through the black ink to reveal the white below. It requires the ability to think about how to create by removing black instead of adding it, and it usually takes me a few minutes to shift my thinking, if you do not, the artwork can end up looking like an old film negative. I love scratchboard because it creates such a dramatic black and white image and I also like the old-fashioned etching or engraving feel it emulates. The photos show the art in various stages of completion from solid black silhouette to finished art and some of the tools I use.
