Zebra Scratch - I Call it Finished

Well I think I am ready to call this scratchboard piece, 11"x14", completed unless someone sees something glaring that needs to be corrected.  Only thing I am concerned about is whether or not I need to make the bottom stripe on the chest area smoother to match the others in the neck and face area.  I think the answer is going to be yes, but your thoughts please.

 Again I want to thank Gary Jones, a wildlife photographer superb, on the PMP site for this wonderful reference picture that I flipped to create this view.  I actually thought that turning it this way would help me with my natural right-handed strokes.  My husband, on showing it absolutely hated the way it is cropped, so I am thinking everyone else will like it just fine. 

I finished this off with a bit more pastel highlights in the black stripes as well, just to add a little color interest and jazz the black up just a bit.  Still unsure if I should spray and seal the entire piece (spraying pastel usually darkens it and I like the way the white clay comes through the pastel dust) or just put under glass.  I have asked an expert and will go with his advice. 

Already have decided on the next piece to try - man this is addicting stuff.  It is going to be another black board and will be from a reference photo Paul took at the Birmingham zoo last weekend. 

I am finding that if it can scratch it is fair game to use as a tool for scratchboard.  Here are two tools that I liked using on the Zebra.  The left is actually a pottery tool, a double ended stylus.  It originally had two little balls on the ends that I filed off to make points.  I like the fact it has a thicker wood grip so my hand doesn't get so tired and it can scratch going both directions.  The other item is Pentel's brush tip pen that has replaceable ink refills.  Ink spreads on like a dream and it is easy and clean to add more ink by just inserting the cartridge.  It was a huge lifesaver and worked better than other black ink pens on correcting my errors and better covered those annoying white lines.  I had white lines going everywhere as when I transferred from my cartoon it didn't  mesh with the reference photo and I had to redraw all the lines.