Here are two different stages:

This long fur is proving to be a challenge, but I’m hoping to make it work without any major problems.

There is still the possibility of doing more on the hair, but I think I like it where it is – with dramatic shadows. To continue might weaken the impact so I feel more comfortable leaving some to the imagination.

At the same time I’ll be doing a piece as a gift to a friend in California. He has a thing for Dead Man, a very dark comedy, and I picked a captured movie frame as my reference.

Both projects will be on 8×10 Ampersand Scratchbord. I’ll be posting images as soon as I start to make some progress.

I learned some things doing this project. When I did one of my Prismacolor portraits I tried using Saral white transfer paper. It’s like graphite paper, but the lines it makes are white instead of black. Anyway, the lines were a bit too heavy, and I spent a lot of time erasing them. I read about using Chaco Paper instead. It’s the same basic concept, but it puts down a much lighter line. I tried it on this scratchboard portrait and really liked the lines. But, I did run into a bit of trouble removing them. You are supposed to be able to use water to remove the lines, so I wet them with a little watercolor brush. That removed quite a bit, but there was still a residue remaining. I found I had to wipe the wet area with an optical cleaning cloth to remove them completely. It doesn’t scratch the surface, but it does add a tiny bit of shine to those areas. I’m hoping that a coating of Krylon clear spray will even out the look of the surface.

Last night I was using a #11 exacto blade. Making fine scratches requires a needle-sharp point, so after a while the blade will get feeling dull. Today I switched to a larger blade. It has the same shape as the #11, but it’s larger. The handle is larger too. So far I haven’t changed the blade and it’s still working well.

The transition from skin to hair is tricky. I wasn’t sure if I should do the skin first and then add the hairs, or visa versa. Both ways seem to work, but I think i prefer to put the hairs in place first, and then bring the skin texture over the top to blend it.

I’m working on an 8×10 piece of Ampersand Scratchbord. It’s good stuff. The surface is nice, and the backing is durable. For illustration work I have always used Essdee Scraperboard. It’s a great product with a beautiful working surface. It’s excellent for illustrations. But, it’s more susceptible to changes in humidity – it can bow and buckle. For fine art I expect the Ampersand Scratchbord to last longer and stay flatter. When I’m finished I will spray a protective clear coat on it.

For this portrait I will be doing the changes in light and dark with variations in the scratch pattern. In future pieces I will try diluted ink washes over certain areas (with additional scratches over the top) to create darker areas without loss of detail.

Inertia is my biggest obstacle. Once I get started, I’ll be fine. So, I’d better get started. I’ll post the results at the end of the day, good or bad.

UPDATE July 28:
I didn’t post the results because I was still working on it. This is where I ended up: