Description:
I have a decent-size digital collection of Victorian-era illustrations of whaling-related scenes. I have selected several that really require no text description. I then match the scene to a suitable tooth, taking into consideration the physical shape of the tooth area to be scribed, and the balance of the illustration.

I then start preparing the tooth, starting with 80-grit sandpaper, through several grits, and finishing with 1500-grit wet-dry paper. I then use automotive rubbing compound to achieve a uniform fine finish, then a final polishing using Renaissance Wax.

Sometimes an idea is a collage of images, and the idea is verbally described to a scrimshander, who renders that concept into a pencil sketch. after a few tweaks, the sketch is duplicated onto the ivory, and the magic begins.

Occasionally, a scrimshander is just given an idea, and I let them run with it.

I have been quite pleased with each result.

All text & photos within this
Commissioned Scrimshaw Collection:
© 2007 Douglass Moody

       

Douglass's Collections

Commissioned Scrimshaw