December 9, 2017

Drawn in the Argos Gallery of Santa Fe:

I drew from the same pose on 2 copper plates, and etched and printed them in the Argos etching workshop that afternoon and the next day.  The first plate was prepared with a soft ground; the second plate was prepared with a red BIG ground (such as this plate).

SOFT GROUNDS

Soft ground etching (15 minute etch),

with aquatint background (2 minute etch)

Ghost print of the above

Martin Weber

Soft Etching Ground

Applying the soft ground to the plate,

and placing on a hot plate

Rolling the soft ground on

with a brayer

Letting the copper plate cool,

below the hot plate

The next day I drew from the model, with a 4B lead (probably) in a lead holder, on newsprint paper, over the copper plate coated with the soft grounds.

I taped the copper plate to a board;

and also the top of the newsprint to the same board

The lead holder with a dull 4B lead,

also note the tape on the bottom of the paper

The final newsprint drawing

Pulling the newsprint away.

one can see the marks in the soft ground

The soft grounds left a nice sepia drawing

on the reverse side of the newsprint

The plate was etched in ferric chloride

After the etch, there was a test to see if the acid bit enough into the plate.  A small section of the soft ground was taken off, and a needle was placed on the plate to feel for relief.

Testing the etch

The plate was inked with 

black Gamblin etching ink

Viola! Printed!

First stage print

AQUATINT

After the figure was covered in a resist, "stop out," an aquatint resin was applied.

Plate with "stop out"

Shaking on the rosin dust,

from a ball of dust inside panty hose nylons

Melting the aquatint rosin

on a hot plate;

note the telephone book paper below,

to protect and keep the contact paper

on the back of the copper plate

from peeling off

Etching for 2 minutes

Soaking the plate in alcohol

with a piece of newsprint on top

to better hold the solvent on the "stop out,"

making the "stop out" easier to remove

Inked

Highlights were taken off with a sharp Q-tip

(this did not work)

The plate and the prints

MIXED HARD GROUNDS

On the second copper plate, I first etched with the red BIG grounds, and then applied traditional ball grounds, smoked the plate, and drew and etched again. Read about the process here.

Link to the process

that made the above etching