Day 5: Another scratchy morning (laura gable)

These little 5x7 scratchboards are fun to do to get the creative juices started in the morning. I do get some mighty smudgy hands when done though. (Laura G)

"The only thing I know is that if I get to my studio, that means I'm alive today." -Robert Farber

Day 2, 4 (laura gable)

DAY 4: Her eyes look a bit more defined once I added color to the scratchboard.

Day 2: Original scratched drawing, using a 5x7 scratchboard. (Laura Gable)

Day 1 (laura gable)

I just modified this post to show the scratchboard in it's original format before painting. Then here she is--my first day of the new year's scratchboard finished, with acrylic inks applied. (She reminds me of the exotic, extinct bird from the movie "UP"). Sized 5x7 so easier to do for quick projects. I'll be teaching a class on these paintings in October at Allied Arts Gallery.

Laura Gable, 509.308.0666, http://gablearts.com

Laura G (day 26-27)

This scratchbord is titled "Rebirth". It represents the part of us that wants to fly free and become something more.

I have several more scratch projects not quite done yet...they are in sketch phase. So hopefully they can be part of this show. Do I need to have them represented here somehow before the month ends?

Tick Tock!

Laura G (day 24)

Scratchbord art titled "Rooted in Possibility"... I may yet add a bit of red to this one. I love the shape of radishes, the inspiration of this piece. No great insights into the art process this time. Just feels good to scratch out these images.

Laura G (day7)

So I ran out of the black scratchbords, but did find this small 4x4 claybord. I coated it with prussian blue watercolor ink and after letting it dry awhile, went ahead and started scratching. It doesn't respond in quite the same way -- the clay surface seems softer. This one will have to be coated with a clear protective coating to prevent smearing. It reminds me of the ocean. And may be part of a larger ensemble at some point in the future. This process makes the creative mind whirl.

Here's another artist who does scratchbord. She explains the process quite well if you care to peek: 

http://www.dmdgallery.com/aboutartwork.html

Laura G (day5&6)

Titled "To Thine Own Self", this final piece of the black scratchbord series started with flat, twisted linguine noodles. I liked the ribbon-like shape and the haphazard directions they made. The idea was to create enough contrast between the background area and the foreground (the twisted ribbons). I did this by creating almost a cheesecloth appearance with the scratched lines. Lots of movement in this one. It's the last in the series until I place another order for more panels.

Laura G (day4)

Might as well post a few more while the night is still young. This one was a more real representation of ... (you guess it--my favorite image) a sunflower. It is titled "Stately" because the sunflower has such a confident stance. So I was experimenting with leaving the black of the panel to represent the shadows, and carving away light areas to denote the highlights. Almost a backwards way of drawing.  I love the movement.

Laura G (day3)

I played with a few more textures represented by patterns here. This one is titled Breaking Open. My heart was aching for my friend who recently lost her husband. So it is fitting, huh? I like to put eyes in my pieces ... for some unknown-to-me reason. Noodle on that and let me know what you might think.

Laura G (day2)

Ok here is my next installment. I'm on a roll here. These are small images - only 5x7 in size. They fit nicely in the hand so you can basically do it while watching tv if so inclined. I titled this one Pisces. It started out as a sort of yin/yang direction ... but then realized the fish were face to face so the Pisces titled seemed more fitting. I love to doodle with swirls and squiggles, so you can see I am having fun here. And the challenge is all about fun, right?

Laura G (day1)

I love this art form - black scratchbord. I buy it online...don't think it is available locally. It is hardbord (masonite) with a fired clay surface, and black india ink swept on top. I buy them premade and then just start doodling. This one was actually started in December, but finished on the first day of our challenge. I use sharp tools - like clay tools--to carve into the surface. Sometimes I paint the exposed white areas with thin washes of watercolor. Think I will leave this one as is. It reminds me of Russian artwork, or filigree (sp?). This one is called "Visionary"