Aquatint

Mary showed us how to aquatint a plate with traditional rosin.

One needs to aquatint the plate, to get large areas of grey. Simply cutting wide lines, or depressions into the plate will not work, and leave an "open bite" that loses the ink when wiped off.


Various grays can be achieved
with different densities of aquatints


Nylon or panty hose
filled with rosin dust


WEARING A MASK
Mary shakes the dust on the copper plate 


Eric turns on the exhaust machinery,
which exhales the rosin dust outside


After the rosin dust is shaken over the copper plate,
the plate is place on a hot plate,
to melt the rosin.
Note the telephone book pages below,
which protect the contact paper on the back of the copper plate



The melted rosin
creates a speckled surface 
on the exposed areas of the copper plate --
the figure is protected with red "stop out" resist


Etching the copper plate for 2 minutes,
after the rosin has been melted, and cooled, on it


Eric looks at the speckled rosin pattern,
in a microscope


Dots of rosin seen in the microscope,
cover part of the plate
(whereas the area between the dots
was exposed and etched)


One can also sprinkle the rosin power,
to get a more grainy aquatint effect


Patrice's plate,
melting with a more grainy aquatint effect


After etching, the rosin comes off with alcohol,
and comes off better 
if a piece of newsprint soaked in alcohol sits on the plate for a while 
(the "stop out" resist also comes off with alcohol)


When inked, 
the aquatint areas will show up as a grey tone,
and print that way




 ROSIN BOX

Up front, stored below the Gene Kloss style etching press, is a traditional rosin dust box for use.

The rosin box rocks,
to create a dust cloud inside


The plate slides in and out of the rosin box,
from this drawer below


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