HOW IT'S DONE

a rough guide to etching
   
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Etchers usually work on copper or zinc plate, using a range of techniques involving resin, varnish and acids. This is just one example of what can be done. Etching is versatile and exciting, happily combining the traditional and the experimental. 

 

"Backwater" in six stages
 

stage one

Hard ground lines are etched into the copper plate using acid.

 

stage two

Soft ground lines are added to give a pencilled texture to some areas. 

                                 


stage three

A medium aquatint is applied to the background to give varied tones and some texture.

 
           

stage four

A very fine aquatint covers the sky and  foreground. The plate is now ready to have the white highlights burnished.


stage five
The sky, water and bank are burnished  and a proof is taken in colour. The image still needs some finishing touches.
 		 "Backwater"       

The final version. The  plate is inked up in five colours. The yellow flowers are added in watercolour when the print is dry.
           
           
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          All images © Helen Hanson