Printsy member Mariann Johansen-Ellis (mariannjohansenellis) makes amazingly thorough and instructive printmaking videos. In her 7 part series, she shows how to make an etching complete with hard ground, soft ground and aquatint. Below are the first two videos showing the hard ground stage.
She goes on to explain soft ground in part 3 and part 4, and aquatint in part 5, part 6 and part 7.
You can also read the Printsy interview with Mariann here.
Showing posts with label Aquatint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aquatint. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tutorial: Coarse Aquatint
Aquatint is a technique used in copper and zinc plate intaglio printmaking to create tone. In a traditional studio, this is frequently done using a fine powdered resin which forms an acid-resistant dot cover on the plate, applied using a dedicated aquatint box. You get a reliably even tone throughout the image. In safety oriented studios, some artists substitute the powdered resin with spray enamel or spray paint.
Etchers who've worked exclusively with aluminium plates may not be familiar with this process because aluminium is 'self aquatinting,' in that if you place a large exposed surface of aluminium in the acid, it will not bite out the entire surface (thus creating an open bite) but rather bite out the metal in a grainy matrix which can hold ink.
Note: this tutorial has been written for those who have previously used some kind of aquatint, rather than for the complete beginner. However, if you belong to the latter category and nevertheless want to read on and find yourself confused, please do ask in the comments!
As the name suggests, this tutorial covers some aspects of the application of, and results that can be achieved with, a coarse aquatint. It's different from a 'fine aquatint' that the tone is more irregular and broken, and you can apply it without having to build yourself an aquatint box.
You need:
• Respirator / dust mask
• Lump resin / aquatint ground (this may be called something different depending on your location)
• Ziplock/plastic bag
• Wine bottle (empty) or a rolling pin which you never plan on using for food preparation again
• Jar
• Cheesecloth
• Old newspaper
• Heat gun
0) Powdered resin is bad for your health and loves to stick in your lungs. If possible, invest in a respirator, but at the very least wear a dust mask. Work somewhere like the garage or shed, where wind isn't going to blow the powder around, but which is away from fabrics and cushions. Cover your working surface with plenty of newspaper for easy clean up afterwards. When heating the resin, work in a very well ventilated area.
1) Put enough resin to fill your jar into a layer or two of ziplock bags.
2) Cover it with a cloth, and using your wine bottle/rolling pin, crush the resin into a powder.
Before rolling and after rolling:
3) Pour the powder into the jar. Cover it with 2-5 layers of cheesecloth (depending on the size of the holes in the cheesecloth and how much powder you'd like to escape) and secure with a rubber band.
4) Place your degreased plate (resin doesn't stick to oil!) on the newspaper. Hold the jar over it and tap to let the powder fall lightly on the plate.
4.1) Remember that resin expands when heated, so don't overdo it or the acid will have nowhere to bite.
4.2) If you need to cover large areas with tone, you are more likely to get an even coverage if you hold the jar up high to lightly work larger areas of the image instead of trying to do small bits at a time. Note that this will also cause the powder to float about more, so protect your clothing and workspace extra carefully.
4.3) The powder is not attached to the plate at this stage. Be careful not to breathe on it or to let your movements disturb it.
A corner covered in resin:
5) Carefully heat the resin from underneath with a heat gun. You'll know it's attached to the plate when it becomes transparent. Don't inhale the fumes.
6) After the plate has cooled, you will be ready to proceed in the same way as any other aquatint: block out the white areas; etch; clean off with methylated spirits; proof!
It takes a while to get the hang of exactly how much powder coverage there needs to be for the effect you're after. It is possible to get quite even results:
Or you could embrace the irregularity, in which case you get something like this:
(Work is entitled Gathering in the Domain, 2011)
Etchers who've worked exclusively with aluminium plates may not be familiar with this process because aluminium is 'self aquatinting,' in that if you place a large exposed surface of aluminium in the acid, it will not bite out the entire surface (thus creating an open bite) but rather bite out the metal in a grainy matrix which can hold ink.
Note: this tutorial has been written for those who have previously used some kind of aquatint, rather than for the complete beginner. However, if you belong to the latter category and nevertheless want to read on and find yourself confused, please do ask in the comments!
As the name suggests, this tutorial covers some aspects of the application of, and results that can be achieved with, a coarse aquatint. It's different from a 'fine aquatint' that the tone is more irregular and broken, and you can apply it without having to build yourself an aquatint box.
You need:
• Respirator / dust mask
• Lump resin / aquatint ground (this may be called something different depending on your location)
• Ziplock/plastic bag
• Wine bottle (empty) or a rolling pin which you never plan on using for food preparation again
• Jar
• Cheesecloth
• Old newspaper
• Heat gun
0) Powdered resin is bad for your health and loves to stick in your lungs. If possible, invest in a respirator, but at the very least wear a dust mask. Work somewhere like the garage or shed, where wind isn't going to blow the powder around, but which is away from fabrics and cushions. Cover your working surface with plenty of newspaper for easy clean up afterwards. When heating the resin, work in a very well ventilated area.
1) Put enough resin to fill your jar into a layer or two of ziplock bags.
2) Cover it with a cloth, and using your wine bottle/rolling pin, crush the resin into a powder.
Before rolling and after rolling:
3) Pour the powder into the jar. Cover it with 2-5 layers of cheesecloth (depending on the size of the holes in the cheesecloth and how much powder you'd like to escape) and secure with a rubber band.
4) Place your degreased plate (resin doesn't stick to oil!) on the newspaper. Hold the jar over it and tap to let the powder fall lightly on the plate.
4.1) Remember that resin expands when heated, so don't overdo it or the acid will have nowhere to bite.
4.2) If you need to cover large areas with tone, you are more likely to get an even coverage if you hold the jar up high to lightly work larger areas of the image instead of trying to do small bits at a time. Note that this will also cause the powder to float about more, so protect your clothing and workspace extra carefully.
4.3) The powder is not attached to the plate at this stage. Be careful not to breathe on it or to let your movements disturb it.
A corner covered in resin:
5) Carefully heat the resin from underneath with a heat gun. You'll know it's attached to the plate when it becomes transparent. Don't inhale the fumes.
6) After the plate has cooled, you will be ready to proceed in the same way as any other aquatint: block out the white areas; etch; clean off with methylated spirits; proof!
It takes a while to get the hang of exactly how much powder coverage there needs to be for the effect you're after. It is possible to get quite even results:
Or you could embrace the irregularity, in which case you get something like this:
(Work is entitled Gathering in the Domain, 2011)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Interview with Stephanie Martin of Stephanie Martin Fine Art
Biography
I live along the beautiful central California coast, in Santa Cruz, where I am lucky to have access to the fine UCSC Print Studio. I get to make prints there surrounded by lively young artists and a dedicated staff.
I got into making art fairly recently, when my daughters were grown. I studied natural history in college, and always had a desire to study art.
Why do you like to print?
Printmaking challenges me in different ways than my plein air landscape painting does. I love the intricate drawing detail that intaglio invites, its technical, circuitous paths, and I enjoy surrendering to the vagaries of the acid tank: living with the happy and unhappy accidents. Printmaking is so amenable to experimentation; it’s mesmerizing to see how an etched plate can yield different results when you vary the paper, ink color, or add chine colle. I also am convinced that doing so much inside-out backwards thinking (the left-right reversal, the aquatint stopping out where what you cover with dark ground will remain white, etc.) in printmaking must be very good for our brains!
What is your favorite print medium and why?
Intaglio has won me over, although occasionally I make reduction woodcuts when a certain subject calls for that technique. Woodcut is scary, it’s do or die, and reduction woodblock really gets the brain cells sweating. But I do love the forgiveness of intaglio, that you are usually able to rescue a plate, and that you can combine it with monoprint so easily.
How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?
I’ve been printmaking for six years. Like all beginners, I started with black and white prints; I think the possibilities of printmaking really expanded for me when I made my first piece combining elements of etching and monotype. After inking the plate in the traditional manner, I roll colored ink on the surface and remove it in select places, sometimes running the plate through the press multiple times. These monoprints are exciting to develop, but a chore to edition since the printing is so tricky.
Lately I’ve been employing more a la poupee inking. It really changes how you must think; for example if I were printing daffodils in black ink, my tonal value for the petals would be very light. If instead I plan to ink those flowers with yellow, I have to do an extremely long dark aquatint etch to get the yellow to register rich enough.
I have also become very fond of using white (or “soap”) ground to stop out aquatints in my bird and flowers series, which makes for a more natural soft edge between tones.
What inspires you?
I am fascinated by the intricate complexity of the natural world--birds and plants in particular-- and the intersection of myth and science. My daughters’ adventures living abroad have fueled many pieces as well. And I envy the gorgeous etchings of Bridget Farmer, Cliona Doyle, and Jean Bardon.
How do you promote your work?
I participate each fall in our local “Open Studios” event, where people can visit my studio, learn about printmaking, and take home my artwork. Creating a website two years ago opened up opportunities for more shows in local public spaces, galleries and restaurants. Etsy has introduced me to some wonderful printmakers’ work, and my shop gives me the pleasure of sending my art around the world--that’s pretty amazing!
Are you working on any particular projects now?
My drawings are done from life, so my themes progress with the seasons. I’ve been busy sketching many spring flowers for future plates, as well as continuing my bird and nest series. Right now we have a pair of bushtits and a pair of bewick’s wrens building nests in our yard, so watch out for future prints featuring them. (Provided I can fend off all the neighborhood cats.)
Tell us one random fact about yourself
I grew up in Los Angeles and didn’t learn to drive a car until age 30. (Go, bicyclists!) I am likewise coming late and reluctantly to the world of computers.
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