As well as doing project we also had to focus on our Skills 3 project which involved three weeks of developing our chosen skill. I chose advanced print - etching as it is a skill that I wanted to learn more of. I had already done acid etching a couple of weeks ago so this first week was easy for me as I was just going back through the stages. However I used soft ground wax as well as hard ground this time and it was interesting to see the different type of etch that the wax gives off - it’s not as deep as the hard ground and in the printing stage I found that it was easier to wipe the ink off than the hard ground. I also learnt how to overlap prints and how to use multiple plates for one print and even brought in my plate from my induction from a couple of weeks ago. Overall, even though it is a long process, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and am looking forward to learning more skills within this type of printmaking.
The second week of the etching workshops involved learning about the process of aqua-tinting on a copper plate. I found the process to be quite interesting yet quite daunting. It involved dusting the plate with aquatint powder, melting it onto the plate and then using stop out varnish to block out parts that are to be kept white/not etched through acid and then placing the plate in acid for different lengths of time depending on how dark you want the tint. Once I had finished mine, I felt as if mine didn’t look right, however when I did a proof print, I discovered that it came out better than I expected and that I could see the different shapes and tones in the print. I think I’ll try this again in a more experimental fashion to get more of hang of it.
The final week of the etching workshops involved being given the task of using the skills we had been taught to create our own plates using whatever process and using the painterly imagery that we had looked at previously. I had already designed and planned my ideas during the week before, and based my ideas on the continuous line drawings. I also decided to do two plates, the same size as my own plate. This is because I wanted to aquatint on the other plate, experiment with colours and mix and match plates I did on the day and also my plates from previous workshops. I found the processes easier than I thought and managed to prepare my plates before lunch. I do want to experiment with etching more in the future and develop my skills in this area of printing.
Overall, I really enjoyed advanced print, and have become a lot more confident in acid etching than I was previously, I definitely want to go into in more detail in the future and possible experiment in combining other forms of printmaking with this method.
- more acid etching?
- develop skills even further?
- combine with other forms of printmaking?
- experiment with dry point?
- experiment further with aqua-tinting?
The second week of the etching workshops involved learning about the process of aqua-tinting on a copper plate. I found the process to be quite interesting yet quite daunting. It involved dusting the plate with aquatint powder, melting it onto the plate and then using stop out varnish to block out parts that are to be kept white/not etched through acid and then placing the plate in acid for different lengths of time depending on how dark you want the tint. Once I had finished mine, I felt as if mine didn’t look right, however when I did a proof print, I discovered that it came out better than I expected and that I could see the different shapes and tones in the print. I think I’ll try this again in a more experimental fashion to get more of hang of it.
The final week of the etching workshops involved being given the task of using the skills we had been taught to create our own plates using whatever process and using the painterly imagery that we had looked at previously. I had already designed and planned my ideas during the week before, and based my ideas on the continuous line drawings. I also decided to do two plates, the same size as my own plate. This is because I wanted to aquatint on the other plate, experiment with colours and mix and match plates I did on the day and also my plates from previous workshops. I found the processes easier than I thought and managed to prepare my plates before lunch. I do want to experiment with etching more in the future and develop my skills in this area of printing.
Overall, I really enjoyed advanced print, and have become a lot more confident in acid etching than I was previously, I definitely want to go into in more detail in the future and possible experiment in combining other forms of printmaking with this method.
- more acid etching?
- develop skills even further?
- combine with other forms of printmaking?
- experiment with dry point?
- experiment further with aqua-tinting?
Comments
Post a Comment