November 29, 2018

Drawn at 3rd Street Arts in Albuquerque:  

The drawing on newsprint after 3 hours

I tried to make another soft grounds print, but failed again.  I believe that the soft BIG grounds was too wet (having brayered it on a couple of hours before the drawing session).  Moreover, we tried to etch the plate in while the BIG ground was still wet, and the ferric chloride took the wet BIG grounds off.

Newsprint paper on top of a copper plate

coated with wet BIG grounds,

after the first 20 minute session with the model

Note the "bridge" -- made of a wooden ruler and poster putty at both ends -- this is positioned so that my hand does not touch the newsprint, which would pull the BIG grounds off the copper plate, 

and ruin my drawing on the copper plate.

The "bridge"

under the drawing

After 3 hours, when I pulled the newsprint paper off the copper plate, the reverse side of the newsprint looked too dark.  I believe that the soft BIG grounds was too wet, and therefore too easily transferred to the newsprint.  I probably should let the wet BIG grounds dry for a day, in a dark place.

The drawing barely seen

on the reverse side of the newsprint paper,

which was touching the BIG grounds

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the copper plate before etching.  However, coated plate looked even worse than the newsprint paper above.

I decided to etch the plate the next day (Nov 30th), while the BIG ground was still wet.  After 30 minutes in ferric chloride, most of the BIG ground came off.  Good thing we etched the plate in a small flat tray, instead of submersing it in the larger ferric chloride vertical tanks at Remarque Print Workshop.

The wet soft BIG ground

came off in the ferric chloride bath

after 30 minutes

Washed plate after 30 minutes

in ferric chloride

The BIG ground that remained on the copper plate

after etching and washing

was still wet, and smeared easily

The plate turned yellow

after spraying a solution of soda ash on it

The cleaned plate

seemed to have etched,

but did not look like the drawing I did the night before

MORALE of the story:  Harden the soft BIG grounds before etching in ferric chloride.

I could have cooked and hardened the wet BIG grounds with a hot plate, like I did with this plate I drew on earlier, but etched a hour after this plate.