Along with testing alternative materials, I get to create pieces of art and refine my techniques. With Alternative Ivory, I’ve been working on a “Fox in the Snow” – a picture by Rob Lee on Flickr.com. This post will be updated and edited as I find interesting information and will pass along any tips and techniques as well.
As stated in the newsletter we found that coating the back of the image to be transferred with an aquarelle pencil then taping the piece to the back of the paper and using the “dot-to-dot” technique on the front pressed the pigment into the material without having to press hard enough to completely pierce the paper. This created smaller dots that were easily seen with magnification but could be ignored during the scrimshaw process and would not detract from the final image.
This is one of the few “furry” scrimshaw pieces I’ve done, mostly working with the more traditional ships and waves, lighthouses and flowers with the occasional loon done on commission. I’m a great fan of Katherine Plumer, who can capture dogs, cats, bears – you name it with such realism that I am in constant awe. She created a piece with a dog and showed the progression, saving the eyes for last. I’ve got the eyes of the fox “sketched” in where I think they need to be but I’m also saving them for last. “Romeo” in progress, and “Romeo” finished shows a level of artistry and technique I hope to attain (it’s in my bucket list).
So, here’s the progress so far:
