African Lion Scratchboard

The largest I’ve done yet, at 14X18 and one of the most complicated due to its subject matter.  The mane required numerous layers of ink and scratching in order to make it believable as thick fur.  My tentative title for this piece is Battle Scars, to draw attention to the scars on his nose from fighting other males for dominance, though I’m not yet sure if I feel comfortable with it seeming a little cliche. I seem to big on a cat kick right now as I have two more lined up following this one.  A mountain lion, progress on which I will share shortly, and an ocelot.  Not many people are familiar with the ocelot; it tends to be lumped in with leopards, but they have such expressive eyes and I hope I can do one justice.