These are some of my new etchings for the year. I've been very happy with some of the results so far, which has me thinking of doing larger versions.
I enjoyed the more linear quality of the prints, and the versatility of the mediums when etching into zinc. I also found the process more user friendly and efficient in comparison to etching into aluminum with ferric chloride or caustic soda.
This is a little about how I created the image,
These artworks are created by etching into zinc with nitric acid. A bitumen ground is applied to the plate which is resistant to the acid. By scratching into the bitumen ground with etching needles and roulettes I expose the bare metal, this is where the lines on my finished product will appear.
The plate is then placed in... a acid bath, to bite into the exposed plate and to create sunken lines. This process was repeated to achieve a variety of lines. The bitumen ground is then cleaned off with solvents.
The plate is inked and polished, leaving the ink in the sunken lines only. I then rolled a thin layer of ink over the entire plate, this technique is known as viscosity printing.
The inked plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper, (often moistened with water) The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print.
*Other lines were created by utilising acid resistant pens directly onto the metal plate.
I also employed the methods of aqua-tinting and open biting to create tonal effects.
The plate is then placed in... a acid bath, to bite into the exposed plate and to create sunken lines. This process was repeated to achieve a variety of lines. The bitumen ground is then cleaned off with solvents.
The plate is inked and polished, leaving the ink in the sunken lines only. I then rolled a thin layer of ink over the entire plate, this technique is known as viscosity printing.
The inked plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper, (often moistened with water) The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print.
*Other lines were created by utilising acid resistant pens directly onto the metal plate.
I also employed the methods of aqua-tinting and open biting to create tonal effects.
