Who are you and what do you do?
Ann Ranlett, MSA. I specialize in scratchboard and am a Master Member (MSA) of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (scratchboardsociety.org). I describe the scratchboard technique as “drawing white with a knife”. It has also been described as “the art of taking away”.
Why do you do what you do?
I love the detail that the scratchboard surface & technique allows. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, my subjects have almost always been animals, and I have a degree in biology. What I can achieve with scratchboard really suits the bio-nerd in me, and feeds my love of detail and animals. It truly is a perfect fit!
What themes do you pursue?
Animals and nature are my primary subjects, with a specialty in pet portraits. But I’ve tackled chrome (car hood ornaments), a tractor, a friend’s motorcycle, and burritos along the way.
Describe a real life situation that inspired you.
Art has always been a part of my life. My parents encouraged both my brother and me to be creative. The “light bulb” moment for scratchboard was a workshop I took at an illustrator’s conference many years ago. The instructor was using a professional quality scratchboard and I was impressed by what could be done with it. Much different & far better than the type of “scratchboard” I had used in high school and college art classes. The instructor’s techniques were also very inspiring.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
In college, I worked at a department store. After college, I worked in the customer service phone center for UPS. Then at the Sacramento Zoo as the Volunteer & Events Coordinator for a couple of years. My last jobs before devoting full time to art were at 2 different Environmental Consulting firms, where I worked in the CAD/Graphics departments, creating maps & graphics and entering & analyzing biological data.
Birding (bird watching), photography, dog training & dog agility, and shooting sports.
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