 My
next process is called aquatinting, most of my plates goes through
this half tone process. Aquatint is ground up very fine
pine rosin that I fill a small bag with and sprinkle into the top of a
five foot tall home made box. I let the heavy particles fall to
the bottom and then insert my plate on a shelf partway up from the
base. The fine particles of rosin dust fill my plate and then I
heat them to melting on a hot plate and let them cool. Now I
have thousands of tiny acid resistant dots on my plate. I begin
masking out areas that will be lighter in tone and the darker sections get
to be in the nitric acid for a longer period of time and therefore
will hold more ink eventually. |
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This progression of photos shows the masking out of tones. |
I
guess what I love most about doing etchings is the element of the
unknown. I never really know until I take my proofs what I have
etched into the metal, and the fascination never ends when I examine a
plate up close and look at all the tiny grooves I've made.
