Scholastic Gold Key Award Winner 2025

Sunshine

In 2025, I was honored to receive another Gold Key in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, this time for a scratchboard portrait - “Sunshine”. Scratchboard is a unique medium where artists carve or scratch away a dark surface to reveal a lighter layer underneath. Instead of adding lines like in drawing or painting, the process involves removing material to create light, texture, and form.

My piece focuses on a dramatic portrait created through layers of scratch marks and crosshatching. I was particularly interested in how light interacts with the face, hair, and surrounding space. By varying the direction and density of my scratches. I was able to build highlights and shadows along with depth. Although this wasn’t my initial thought when creating this artwork, I realized when I completed it that the contrasts between the deep black background and the bright scratched lines created a strong sense of dramatized emotion and expression within the composition.

Scratchboard also requires careful control because every mark permanently removes the surface; it is not a forgiving medium. That challenge made the process of creating this artwork very slow but also very rewarding.

Receiving a second Gold Key felt especially meaningful because it showed my growth as an artist since my first award in 2023. Much like last time, this experience grew my interest in stepping out of my comfort zone and experimenting with different media. While the earlier piece focused on pattern and illustration, this artwork explores realism, lighting, and human portraiture.