TECHNIQUE
 

Once I have my preliminary drawing sketched on tracing paper, I tape it to the scratchboard. I then retrace the basic outline of the drawing with a ball point pen. This leaves indented lines on the scratchboard for me to follow.
I then remove the tracing paper to reveal the indentations that can be seen with good angled lighting. I always keep the sketch nearby as my reference.  I then proceed to use the scratching tools to remove the black ink from the board, thus exposing the white layer underneath. To establish elements of shading, I use different pressures and directional scratching to achieve the end result. I periodically step back from the piece I am working on to view the overall balance.
After the piece of artwork is done, I decide whether or not to add color. If I do decide to add color, I use either a watercolor or acrylic ink wash over the areas I wish to fill in.
For the final step, I preserve the piece of artwork by spraying a clear acrylic coating on it. This also helps to minimize the appearance of any paint that has stayed onto the black areas