"Black Swan," original scratchboard with inks © Judy Lavoie 2022
  • MEDIUM:  Scratchbord™ with Inks
  • SIZE:  24" x 18"
  • STATUS: For sale $1200, in a black frame with red accents

"This scratchboard is a bit of a departure from my usual art, while being the largest size scratchboard painting I have created to date. I was determined to capture the drama that captivated me when I saw a photo of a black swan online. As a graphic artist, I always loved the appearance of black and red with touches of white and used this combination for logos and printed materials I designed. Now it was time to apply the striking combination in my fine art.

Of course, the red beak of the black swan immediately catches the viewer's eye, particularly against the black background. In my reference photo the feathers were very dark, fading into the blackness of the background in many places. I knew I had to work hard to create this effect. I scratched all the visible feathers in great detail, revealing the stark white layer below the black surface primarily with two tools: a thin fiberglass brush and an old-fashioned gritty typewriter eraser. Needless to say, I used nearly the entire length of the eraser! This work took hours and hours and I was pleased with the results. However, to get the darkness of the feathers I took it another step - I glazed over and over the feathers with a diluted black ink wash, turning the white areas into greys. I hated to cover all my hard work, but the effect was precisely what I was aiming for.

The red beak was also a challenge. I tackled it by removing all the black surface coat from the beak shape, dissolving it away with an alcohol pad. Once the whole beak area was pure white, I used a bright yellow ink over the area, a technique I've used with watercolors on paper to get a bright under-layer. I followed with a mixed shade of bright red ink over the dry yellow coat. The results were better than I expected, particularly because I could scratch lightly and reveal the yellow layer or scratch more and reveal the white below."

 

Reference photo used with permission © Jan Willemsen