Studio Blog
Creating The Red Wattlebird Etching - Part 4 - Working More Into The Plate and 2nd Proof
Using the first proof (see previous blog post) as a reference I can now see where the plate needs more work done to it. I use a drypoint etching needle to make more scratched lines in the plate. In some areas I use a folded up piece of sandpaper to create lines. I rip off a small square... and fold it over a few times. The folding gives a nice edge with which to draw. I inked the plate up for its 2nd proofing and printed it. This time I inked it up in sepia browns and added extra colours to the plate (I will show this inking up process in my next blog post.) You can see in the image below the progression of the plate. The difference between the 1st and 2nd proof. I can still see areas I need to work more into the image, but I'm really enjoying the mark making process in this piece. Below is a close up of the how the different marks appear when printed. The fat white streaks are where the PVA glue protected the plate from the spitbite acid. The thinner white streaks on the right hand side are burnisher marks made in the acid bitten areas. The fainter lines within the yellow area are made with the folded sandpaper I will keep working more into this plate and in my next blog post I will show how I ink it up in multiple colours and print it as part of an edition.
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Creating the Red Wattlebird Etching - Part 3 - Proofing The Plate
Proofing the plate, first glimpse.
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Creating the Red Wattlebird Etching - Part 2 - Making The Plate
Part 2 - Making the Plate After I've got the initial image outline sketched onto the aluminium plate I then have to start making the marks, the scratches, the roughed up areas of the plate. All the places where I've un-smoothed the surface of the metal will hold ink and create lines and tone when printed. Working from a photograph I took of a red wattlebird that I'd met in Chiltern, Victoria, late last year, I used a waterproof white pencil to get the initial image onto the plate (See blog post Part 1.) I wanted to include some areas of tone in this piece- to get that darker body of the bird with the white striated marks down its breast and belly. To do this I chose to have a play with spit bite. Spit bite is a technique using acid painted on the surface of the plate in specific areas. You'll find out why it's called spit bite soon! To create the white striated streaks I needed to protect the metal from the acid so I painted PVA glue onto the plate and hoped that it would work! I then brought everything outside while I dealt with the acid part. The acid I used on the aluminium is copper sulphate which is a much safer alternative to traditional acid etching and works well with aluminium. I'm no expert when it comes to using acid as I normally stick to dry point, but I was up for some experimenting for this plate! Now here's where the spit in spit bite comes in and therefore where it gets a bit yuk (although I'm not too put off by this centuries old technique!) To ensure the applied acid sits evenly and doesn't creep into areas where you don't want it you first paint saliva onto the desired areas of your plate. Above, you can see how I've painted the spit over the body of the bird. I then start painting copper sulphate solution in the same areas and watch as the acid turns the metal dark in the areas it is eating the surface. I keep adding more acid over a 10 minute period. Painting it thicker in area I want darker and leaving areas I want lighter with less. After the 10 mins I rinse everything off with water and peel off the PVA glue areas. Some of the bits are easier to peel or scrape off than others and some streaks worked better than others. But I don't mind it not being too exact, it's all part of the process! Now I need to start scratching the lines. I've used various things to make the rest of the marks on the plate. I mainly use a drypoint etching needle to scratch the lines straight in, like drawing. But in other areas I've used bits of sandpaper, folded up to create an edge and drawn lines with that. In some areas I've used a burnisher over the acid bitten areas and these lines show up light over dark. There's quite a variety of marks on this plate! Before I complete this plate I want to see what all of these marks look like so far when inked up and printed. So I'm going to pause the process for now and proof the plate. Proofing is when you ink up the plate and print it to see how the plate looks. It helps the printmaker see how to proceed with making the plate, what's working, where to work more into the plate etc. See blog post Part 3 - Proofing the Plate. You can also watch videos of all these processes on my instagram - HERE.
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Creating the Red Wattlebird Drypoint Etching - Part 1 - Getting the Image Onto The Plate
Adventures in printmaking. Creating the Red Wattlebird drypoint etching. Part 1.
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5 Ways With Washi
***Includes sneak peeks of my new washi designs*** Washi tape might be small, but it’s full of creative possibilities. From gift wrapping and journaling to wall décor and keeping the kids entertained. I’ve shared five of my favourite ways to use this cheerful little tape— I think you’ll love it too.
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