Along the coast of Maine, edging Dyer Bay, in woods where balsam fir, red spruce, paper birch, red maple and eastern white cedar predominate, 150 acres form a perfect setting for a workshop in natural science illustration. This retreat is the Humboldt Field Research Institute and Eagle Hill Foundation, hosted and coordinated by Joerg-Henner Lotze.
During the week of August 14-20, 2005, a combination workshop entitled “Secrets of Scratchboard” and “Scratching the Surface: Metalpoint Drawing” was presented by Trudy Nicholson and Scott Rawlins. Fifteen participants from as far as California, Wisconsin, Florida and Indiana, as well as locations closer to Maine, put pen, pencil, silver and copper to varying surfaces from which emerged an array of nature’s treasures—bark, shells, feathers, plants and crab or lobster claws among them—in dramatic and elegant detail. The participants ranged from students in natural science illustration, professional scientific illustrators, environmental educators, and wildlife refuge managers, all anxious to increase their skills in the techniques presented. The techniques were divided into half days: mornings for scratchboard, afternoons for metalpoint. We stayed in very comfortable rooms in the studio building or cabins, with a few participants camping in their tents. We ate marvelous home-cooked meals and on chilly evenings gathered after dinner in a spacious room with a large fieldstone fireplace warming ourselves by a crackling fire. After classes and especially during meals conversations and laughter reached a high pitch.
A course on lichens and bryophytes given by Fred Olday, a professor at The College of the Atlantic, was held at the same time as our workshop. Students in that course joined us for meals and gatherings. In the evenings there were lectures or presentations, one being a display of all the artists’ portfolios and artwork completed by that date. At the close of our final day, students exhibited all the work they had done during the week. The unanimous reaction was amazement at the amount and quality that had been accomplished. This was a week of discovery of nature, illustration techniques, and each other.

Finding Our Way
There were no towns within walking distance. If there were any necessities required, a member with a car was commandeered for the trip—our usual driver was Susannah Graedel, who even volunteered. Walking trails, marked by color spheres on trees along the way, lead us through fields, meadows, and dense woods to overlooks or the Dyer Bay shore. Although these paths were marked and we were given a rudimentary map of the path meanderings and final destinations, most outings lead to consternation if in a group, or near panic if alone. But none of us remained lost for long and we always managed to find clues that lead us back toward the compound.

Finding Subjects
These paths led us through blueberry fields that provided sweet snacks along the way, as well as producing subjects for illustrations. In the woods were nuts, cones, branches, bark, leaves, and feathers. On the shore were stones, seaweed, crab shells, lobster claws, and driftwood. At the end of some paths were high boulders overlooking woods far below, which lead to the Bay stretching far out past islands and boats. Here, atop these huge rocks providing such a splendid view, were Jack pines with their curving cones, their trunks and branches buffeted to one side and stunted in this wind-exposed location—a lovely place for contemplation, inspiration, and sketching. Laden with subjects, the artists returned to the studio to sort out their subjects, choose the most promising, and arrange compositions. The decisions required in selecting, preparing, and arranging subjects is sometimes the most interesting and challenging part of the project, surpassed perhaps by choosing the medium.

Comments on the Subjects and Media by Participants

The Techniques

Metalpoint
At a time when digital approaches to art-making are rapidly displacing traditional ones, it is sometimes useful to reflect on the history of “making marks”, and to occasionally move backward in order to stay ahead. Studying the various techniques associated with metalpoint drawing can help artists stay in touch with the gestural and tactile qualities of mark-making.
Participants in the GNSI summer workshop learned how to build up tone through a series of small hatched and cross-hatched lines, and also learned to appreciate that there is beauty in delicate, sensitive drawings that would be difficult to reproduce. Experimenting with a number of different grounds, including LineKote board, a clay-coated surface, and Martha Stewart paint chips, participants were encouraged to find a surface that accommodated their individual styles most successfully. In addition, participants learned how to create their own metalpoint ground using illustration board and gouache.
As originally conceived, this portion of the workshop was to include numerous excursions to Dyer Bay as well as a field trip to the coast proper, during which participants could produce panoramic landscape studies. Though trips were taken to both locations, and some landscapes did result, it was concluded that metalpoint seems to lend itself best to studies of closely observed objects. Nevertheless, the field trips did provide participants with many interesting subjects to draw from seaweeds to lobster claws.
Toward the end of the week, techniques for tinting the metalpoint drawings were introduced. These involved careful applications of watercolor and/or “painting” with pastel dust.
The final collection of participants’ drawings exhibited a wide range of styles, approaches, and subject matter. The metalpoint illustrations provided an interesting contrast to the bolder, high-contrast scratchboard renderings.

Scratchboard
Ink on white scratchboard has an intrinsic high contrast, dramatic quality. The approach of analyzing subjects and compositions to differentiate light areas, which will remain white, from darker areas, which will be painted black, and only later blended by creating textural grays, enhances this quality.

In the workshop, participants created compositions of balanced lights and darks using several subjects. Starting with a sketch that was transferred to prepared scratchboard, the compositions were divided into black and white areas that ultimately lead to highly textured renderings, using white scratched lines and dots on black areas, and black inked lines and dots on white areas. Being able to correct by scratching out previously inked textures and reworking them or to refine and perfect inked details allows for experimentation and delicate precision. The final result was a realistic duplication of the subjects ranging from white through textured grays to black, presented in an exciting composition.

Using graphite pencil on scratchboard required building up darks gradually and finally scratching out fine white details and highlights. Creating textures in both ink and pencil was a challenge involving trials and practice, but the results of all artists’ efforts were charismatic and rewarding.

Photo: Katie Schuler  

Photo: Katie Schuler

Photo: Susannah Graedel

Photo: Katie Schuler 

Photo: Antonia Ross

Photo: Susannah Graedel

Discarded Lobster Crab Claw (Detail),
Valerie Storfer 

Gentle Twists and Turns; Summer Seaweed (Detail),
Elizabeth Wyatt 

Photo: Susannah Graedel

Photo: Susannah Graedel

More photos and artwork in the Gallery!
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Interested in finding out more about GNSI Summer workshops? Look for announcements in upcoming Newsletter issues.

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