Nocturnal Heads

by Marlin Peterson | Dec 11, 2007 | Science Illustrations | 3 comments

nocturnal head portraits

nocturnal head portraits

Finally we are to do a large project using scratchboard.  it is such an amazing medium…for how it looks, and for its forgiving nature.  Basically its paper coated with clay that you can brush or use a pen to get your blacks, then you follow up with a sharp stylus that scratches the black back away, giving you white lines over black.  All together you can do anything with it- I am excited to imagine a B&W illustration using scratchboard, then color it digitally.  The cleanest lines can be tidied up even tidier, and every gradation can be achieved.

For this image, I decided to research a broad spectrum of the animal kingdom and settle on an 7 team roster that had some of the largest eye to head ratios I could find.

Clockwise from the top left is a gecko, a jumping spider, a barred owl, a treesnake, red-eyed frog, a dourocouli, and in the center a preying mantis.

check out a larger image in my portfolio.