Big Shit

So in the mix, i think this particular print i have been working on has had little or no attention up on here,... and rightfully so as it is the project i go to when i need a break from doing more intensive projects.

Originally I started this plate because i had a huge piece of zinc and i just wanted to try out different techniques on it.  With that as the basis for starting it developed slowly over a couple months with about 7 different kinds of printmaking technique involved... many of which were just a first crash course attempt at learning.  I had not image pre conceived, and nor did i start with a sketch prior to touching the metal... most definitely a step in a new direction for me, particularly since I generally work with all my ducks lined up or atleast assembled before hitting the metal.

That said, it's funny how something so spontaneous, and almost stupid can turn out much better than expected. I refer to it as "my big shit"... simply something large and for lack of better words "shitty" that i work on to keep making, but to not feel overwhelmed in working on..... a place to freely make mistakes and a place where those mistakes can potentially become great points of learning!

Here's where it stands now... with hopefully more to go into it.

Simple print

I've been super super busy with printing larger prints and their respective editions this week... most of which I will print when they are finished and dried. Lots has changed with my kitchen series for prints, and each has taken on a new look and a more polished, finished look at that... I'll probably put those up sometime next week.  I also continue with a new-ish mezzotint which I'm much happier with than my first attempt... I'll probably even edition it too!  

In the meantime however, I had a little time to do a quick small print using just aquaforte and aquatint yesterday.  It was for a card that I was putting together and thus it had to be small and fast. It's about 2 inches x 2 inches and was also a total deviation from my usual style,... something I probably wouldn't do normally, but because of it's purpose it was fitting. That said, it's a little project that I thought was worth sharing. Enjoy!

Semolina

Continuing on with my kitchen series, I present the lovely Semolina. Not complete yet, but definitely in a stage nearing completion.

I wanted to run through the basic process of getting to this point step by step.

First, I draw the image in pencil in my sketch book... just as I would with pretty much any other drawing.

Next I carefully coat my polished plate of metal, in this case zinc, with soft ground. When the ground has been successfully applied I wrap the plate with thin tissue paper and begin redrawing my drawing exactly (or as close to as I can) in reverse onto the tissue paper. This is a delicate process as the soft ground is pressure sensitive, so any mark I make with my pencil or finger or whatever is a mark on the plate/design. Making sure not to press too hard or too light  with my pencil is also a bit tricky,... too light and i don't make enough of a mark, too hard and the line gets blown out. I tend to fall into a groove as I go and adjust my pencil weight as I go along. In this case, transferring the image took a full 24 hours of work.

When all of my drawing is complete and I'm absolutely sure I've covered all areas of shading & line I get to unwrap the plate like its Xmas morning. Beneath all of my pencil work is a delicately resolved transfer in the soft ground...

From here it's into the nitric acid for about 25 minutes. When I remove the plate from the acid I usually do a quick test proof to see how the soft ground etching turned out.

It's basically a one-shot deal, but from here there are many options to start refining the image. In this case my image turned out pretty well with just the soft ground, but the nature of doing this method produces a really soft image where as I need something that is going to have a real harmony of hard lines, soft lines, and a variety of tonal values.  In this case I use the initial soft ground etching as a starting point for hard ground etching.

After applying hard ground I use fine needles to add various elements of detail as well as to firm up some of the finer lines that I need in the image. Here are the progressions through a couple layers of hard ground etching...

Finally, I fill in all of the remaining tonal values with different levels of aquatint. Aquatint is a process by which i coat the plate with resin powder and then melt it to leave a very very fine layer of resin bumps on the plate. When I put the plate in acid, acid seeps into the spaces between the bumps producing a hole for ink to rest in. With more holes in the plate I can achieve darker tones. More time in acid = deeper holes. By putting the plate in the acid for different amounts of time I can get different shades of grey. Of course I need to block out areas that can't be effected each time i put the plate back into the acid. Here is the end result...

Anyways, that's how it's done! I hope to finish this one off soon so I can press on to the next. 

Progress in the Kitchen

I just wanted to pop up a little update on some progress being made on a couple of the soft-ground etchings I'm working on... oh yah, and a little snap from the studio where I'm working out of.

Both have now been taken from sketchbook to metal etching, and are both currently unfinished works, but with a few more steps they should come together. I've used soft ground for the overall image, aquaforte for firming up the line work, aquatint to fill in subtle variants in shade, and will hopefully bring a touch of spit bite into the mix for a few select areas of atmosphere. Lots of process involved!!! That said, even before finishing these I'm already pushing on to others to keep the energy rolling along.

I find that working on lots of different projects at the same time really helps to keep old ones alive. As soon as I get sick of working on something then I can easily switch over and have something fresh to follow. Just like a fine wine, every work in progress needs time to breathe!