Using acrylic on a white clay board surface, my goal is to balance capturing fine detail with modeling overall form.
The final effect is achieved by alternating layers of high flow acrylic, scratching through to the white clay surface
below and reapplying thin washes of acrylic paint over the scratches. Scratching creates highlights and
adds detail and textures, washes of acrylic
add color and enhance contour, and shadow.
Additional Work in Progress Images
1. I begin by loosely painting high flow acrylic on an archival white kaolin clay coated board. The initial layer of color is laid down quickly in simple nearly opaque shapes paying attention to color combinations, contrast and composition.
2. My process then becomes subtractive as I scratch and scrape through the paint to the white clay surface below using various scratching tools (X-Acto knives, scalpels, tattoo needles, steel wool, fiber glass brushes, etc.)
3. I then apply thinned washes of acrylic to tint the scratches. The final three dimensional textural effect is achieved by alternating washes of thinned acrylic with layers of scratching. Scratching creates highlights and adds detail and texture; washes of acrylic add color and enhance contour and shadows.
4. The final art is protected with multiple layers of spray UV varnish.
