How Sweet It Is

"I love chocolate (especially dark) and the hand decorated ones provide an interesting subject for artwork. Years ago I did a full sheet watercolor of chocolates I had arranged on a silver platter, titled Decadence. It was an exercise in mixing shades of brown! This little Scratchbord was a totally different approach.

I set up my still life, selecting the more interesting pieces of chocolate from the assortment box I purchased. It is nearly impossible to buy them in little pleated cups these days, so I added my own white ones, for another interesting element. I arranged the chocolates on a vintage white doily with a tatted lace edge. My Nana taught me to tat when I was very young and I have collected antique tatted work as an adult. Knowing the tatting process made it easier to depict the lace realistically.

As a scratchboard with no added color, this artwork relies on the rendition of multiple values (grey tones) to look realistic. I used primarily a technique of stippling fine dots into the black India Ink surface to reveal varying amounts of the white clay below.

Enjoy my sweet treat with zero calories!"