Art Blog - Caroline Henry

Scratchboard drawing with watercolor tint of the northern California coastal village, Mendicino, as seen looking out across one of the inlets along the Mendicino Headlands. The fog above the village was created by using steel wool to remove the india ink while leaving a good deal of gray. This allows the crisp whites of the village buildings, including the church steeple, to stand out as the whitest whites in the painting, calling attention to the village which actually takes up only a small part of the total surface area. The rock, shown in the light red-browns tints common along this crumbling coast, is shadowed by the deep blacks of the india ink, supporting the rugged quality of the cliffs… Continue reading… 0 comments

One of the things I like about scratchboard is working with a black starting point and then taking the whites and grays back out of the surface. The potential for drama is strong. Colors may be added or the work may be at its best left black and white. I love the moonlight effect of the white highlights on the black surface in my "Moonlit Beach" which appears in my "Drawings & Scratch" ArtId gallery. I usually use a pre-inked surface (I like the one produced by Claybord), while others prefer inking their own. An advantage to having india ink on hand is ease in repairing errors. In the photo here I had begun to work the face of a cliff, scraping away large rock wall areas while leaving rock shadow. As you can see, I had already been working the ocean… Continue reading… 0 comments

Surf churns the shore as a lone gull sits snug near beachside rocks. A scattering of seaweed lies on the sand. This is painted in watercolor on clay coated board. The surface is sealed so that it may be displayed with or without glass, depending on personal taste. 9" by 12 inches. This surface is lovely to paint on. It resists water, so you need care about when to load your brush with water and when to use a very dry brush. And it needs more drying time than watercolor paper. It is more absorbent than yupo, and it gives some of the same wonderful effects and same challenges. Lifting paint for effects can be very successful, and you have the added advantage of being able to scratch into the surface to regain bright whites… Continue reading… 0 comments

A basket of green Granny Smith apples, gathered to bake a pie, sits on the counter. The rich Aztec gold shade of the wall provides a good complement to the apple green. I've painted this on the wonderfully toothy pastelbord by Claybord in early Octover. This was a first attempt with this surface, and I discovered that I really love it. I bought some more next time I was in an art store. Most of the painting here was done with side strokes, using edges only for those areas where clear lines needed to be drawn, the crispest of these being the apple stems. The blue of the shadows was also used to create added interest by breaking up the bloks of color in the background surfaces. Near whites highlight the reflections on the apple surfaces… Continue reading… 0 comments

On a warm summer night a young girl walks toward the surf of a quiet beach. Distant starts twinkle overhead, as the moonlight touches her shoulder and and a balmy breeze lifts her moonlit hair.Moonlight, too, gives form to the headlines off to the left. A marine layer, which could chill down the beach with fog, remains well out to sea. This 5" by 7" drawing is scratched into india ink which coats Claybord brand scratchboard. It is presented in an 11" by 14" white mat. I enjoy the shift in thinking necessary to "draw" in reverse, taking the ink out with the scratch tools. When drawing with pen or pencil, I occasionally let my hand wander where it will and build a coherent drawing from that. Not so with scratch. Every nick in the surface is permanent and better have its purpose… Continue reading… 0 comments

I completed this painting a few months ago after a week in California's north east corner with its mix of mountains and high desert. I used photos for reference, abetted by memories of the sheen of the still water and countless viewings of egrets along waterways. Ampersand's koalin clay coated board seemed like the perfect support because I could scratch back the white grasses, the whitest water sparkles, and much of the egret. It also lifts well to create high wispy clouds and the sheen on the water. As you move toward completion you really have to work at not using too much water, or you will lift color instead of adding it. However, I enjoy working with this challenge. I love the flow of traditional watercolor on paper, but paint puddles with an attitude are fun, too… Continue reading… 0 comments

Just wanted to post a few comments on the painting "The Mist Breaks" that I added to my artid studio today. This work was done on clay coated board by Claybord; it is the one they market at "smooth" Claybord. It is resistant to absorption, but not as resistant as yupo surfaces. I tend to use a fairly wet brush in laying out areas of color and then dry brush technique as I get into details. Paint is fairly east to lift. Because the surface is clay, it is then possible to scratch in white details, such as I did in the grasses and around the lighthouse windows… Continue reading… 0 comments