My favourite part of the copper plate etching process – drawing onto the plate!

This was my first time trying ‘B.I.G. [Baldwins Ink Ground]‘ – a hard resist that is hopefully not as ‘hard’ as the Lascaux hard resist I’ve been using up until now. Our local print studio at Gracefield Arts Centre is a ‘non toxic’ environment, so we must follow this method.

Preparation

After filing the edges of the plate, and de-greasing the surface, you paint, or roll on a resist. This resist prevents the etch from ‘biting’ into the plate. By drawing into the resist, you effectively scratch it away, thus exposing the surface of the plate to the etch. The etch ‘eats’ into the plate, and these areas trap the ink applied next.

Experimentation

My printing pal, Sharon, tried it first, and brought in a prepared plate for us to have a wee shot of.  First impressions were so good (I could easily draw curves, circles and waves, which I found a struggle with the Lascaux) that I sent away an order for a tube of my own!

This plate was my first experiment.

Conservation

The B.I.G requires a fan assisted oven to bake it hard, so I decided it would be a good (frugal) idea to put the plate in with my tea, as you do… Cue a soggy, then burnt, disaster. But my plate came out well!

Inspiration

I had taken a photo of the shadow of a tree on our tandem ride earlier that day, and used this as inspiration for the plate. The ‘unusual’ angle appealed!

Reflection

You can see the reflection of my magnifying lamp in the photo above, creating a glowing halo around the tree. A momentary lapse in concentration meant that I misjudged the etching time of the aquatint layers (more on this later). I am leaving this one aside for a few weeks to allow my thoughts to settle.

Sometimes an inspired thought can come from nowhere to reignite the passion.