Having been a printmaker for quite some time now, I find myself floundering in conversations trying to explain a very long process in two sentences or less on what printmaking actually is…or how I achieved/printed a particular piece. It’s a relatively easy process (and I use that term lightly), but it requires many steps – each being critical to the end result. So recently I decided to document one of my prints step by step in order to answer some of these questions and to merely to enlighten those of you who might not want to ask, but are curious how an etching is made.
I should note too that I am a very untraditional in my approaches with a very traditional method. Though I was trained and have a degree in printmaking….I still just make things up as I go along. I’m not one to sew with a pattern, cook by a recipe, hold my paintbrush just right….nor do I print by the rules.
There are a variety of papers you can use when printing. I encourage anyone to experiment, but I've landed on Fabriano Rosapina (sounds fancy, but I just order it from Dick Blick). It's thick, versatile, and tears beautifully. Printmaking paper can be pricey and is typically made of cotton. You should tear your paper to 1.) show off it's beauty and texture and 2.) to fit the size of your print. I typically leave an inch or so around the top, left, and right....and then two or so inches for the bottom to leave room for the title, edition number, and signature.
After you've torn all of your paper, you will place it in a tub of water to soak. I know that this seems crazy....but it's critical. Printing papers are strong. They contain many fibers that need to be loosened in order to pick up all of the details of the print you're about to run. You can soak your paper anywhere from 3 minutes - an hour{ish}.
After documenting this, I realized that I entirely left out the part of how to prepare your plate, etch it, and so forth. I'll do that soon in another post! To continue where we're at though...here is a photo of a plate that is covered in black hard ground (a miraculous printing compound that resists acid), and has already been etched in acid. Now it's time to remove the black hard ground with mineral spirits and a toothbrush. This takes a small bit of scrubbing, but you need to do so without being too abrasive with your plate of metal. You don't want to cause any scratches because then it will leave a mark and therefore show up on your print!
After removing the hard ground, I usually take my prints over to my backyard faucet to remove the excess mineral spirits and to do a general cleaning of the plates. At this point we're ready to go back inside and begin inking!
In order to keep this brief and less boring…I will be breaking this down into 3 posts. Check back tomorrow for Part II, inking your plate!
