Here is a collection of scraperboard illustrations which I’ve been enjoying as a new venture. Scraperboard, also known as scratchboard, enables very graphic, yet nuanced, black and white tonal drawings to be rendered using sharp scraping tools. The board consists of a layer of white china clay coated with a layer of black Indian ink which can be scraped away using fine line hatching, scraping, and stippling methods to reveal the white clay. The results can evoke antique engravings and etchings which I have always personally loved. I’ve chosen plants and some landscape subjects inspired by such works.
Just click on the thumbnails to explore. (If you click off the caption, click again to restore) If you are interested in buying an available original from this collection, you will find it on this page.
'Peony', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
The first of a set of four scraperboard florals using traditional hatching techniques. I love the vintage vibe here which the peony petal and anther forms lent themselves towards.
'Wild Carrot/ Queen Anne's Lace', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
The fourth in a series of four scraperboard florals. The subject was perfect for a delicate ethereal feel. I've had some seedheads on my kitchen window for months - at last they made it into my artwork. Very satisfying.
'Nigella', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
The second in a series of four scraperboard florals. Rendering this flower in black and white as well as enlarging from life size gives this drawing an other worldly vibe.
'Chrysanthemum', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
The third of a set of four scraperboard florals. I wanted to convey through the different marking strengths the sturdy full petals of the flower in contrast to the soft leaves.
Ragwort and Agrias amydon Butterfly, scraperboard and watercolour, 23 by 30.5cm, £90
A pairing to 'dandelion and ladybird', this was stimulated by seeing bright yellow ragwort flowering alongside the dark seed pods of sweet cicely in the hedgerow close to where I live. I felt it would be a suitable arrangement for scraperboard. The butterfly was added as a place to rest the eye.
Dandelion and Ladybird, scraperboard and watercolour, 23 by 30.5cm, £90
My first exploration into scraperboard to explore light and dark using lots of hatching strokes. I added the ladybird in colour for a focal point and love the ethereal effect in this drawing.
Moonlight Woodland, scraperboard, 23 by 30.5cm, £110
I just had to have a go at this scraperboard composition of a night time woodland lit by the light of a full moon. I particularly enjoyed drawing the Scot's pine tree bark and the foliage with cones, one of my favourite trees. I left the central moon and clouds until last so that I could control how they fitted into the whole for scale and level of detail.
Moonlight Beach, scraperboard, 23 by 30.5cm, £110
Moving into landscape with scraperboard, this was such a magical drawing to do and to compose. I wanted to be right there on the beach. The shells came from my own collection and it was so satisfying to incorporate them. Scraperboard naturally lends itself to night time wonders.
'Swan Lake at Sunset', scraperboard, 23 by 30.5cm, £110
This was pushing scraperboard as far as I could, with very fine line work in the sky and distant land, but I do love the result which for me feels magical and mystical.
Scottish Spear Thistle, scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
A classic symbol of Scotland, this spiky Spear Thistle was such a joy to build up in very fine hatching strokes on the scraperboard medium.
'Snowdrops', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
A delicate group of snowdrops emerging in February, with moss and stones to anchor the base of the illustration. I popped a dew drop on a stem for spring rains to come.
'Peony-rose', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
A stunning peony lends itself well to scraperboard with masses of petals to enjoy hatching whilst creating tonal variations.
'Frilly Opium Poppy', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
A frilly opium poppy with seed heads and grasses. These poppies can literally pop up years after scattering some seeds if the conditions are right. I added some grasses and wildflowers for a naturalised feeling and to better evoke summer.
'Columbine', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
The graceful and delicate columbine flower lends itself beautifully to portray with the medium of scraperboard, where fine line hatching can build up the tones with a lovely subtlety.
'Agaricus macrosporus', scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £60
This was a joy to do, especially the gills on the underside of this classic fungus. I 'grounded' it with some strands of grass, moss, and lichen for a woodland feel.
Buttercup Hedgerow, scraperboard, 15.2 by 23cm, £70
This drawing evolved from a source material photograph I took of buttercups intertwined with cleavers and other foliage. When I began translating it to scraperboard, it demanded more structure, and it developed into a panel design with a delicate period feel to it.
'Rosa rugosa and Privet, scraperboard, 23 by 30.5cm, £110
This is inspired by a hedge I noticed bursting with the gorgeous Rosa rugosa which produces luscious hips in late summer. Interweaving with the stems were flowering heads of the common privet. I took some photos for reference and wanted to create a panel effect with a vintage vibe like traditional engravings and etchings.
Whitewoods with Wolf, scraperboard, 23 by 30.5cm, £110
This drawing explores the shapes of woodland larch trees after leaf fall, looking at the bare 'bones' of the branches. On scraperboard, the scene takes on a wild and eerie feel and the lone wolf helps to impose a sense of wilderness
