Scrimshaw is an American art form that has always fascinated me .  For those that don't know about this process let me tell you it is something simple that can become quite complex.  All I do is take a piece of bone, Ivory, or resin and make little scratches or stipple markes onto the surface in the shape of some design.  After I've made a series of marks I coat it with a layer of oil paint.  The paint will sink into the scratches and stipple marks, then when the excess is wiped off a visible pattern will remain.  This process is very similar to the way a tatoo is made.