Etching process
Wake Up Call. Etching 21 x 29.7 cm Mark H Jones 2024
The proposal for my MA Degree major project included experimenting with etching using hard and soft grounds, a process perhaps sympathetic to my drawing style. Jordan Baines instructed me on the etching process which involves preparing a zinc plate by degreasing and applying a hard ground to the surface. Using a scribe or in my case a ‘dremel’ I drew through the ground. Once the scribing is complete, the back of the plate is covered with a sticky film to protect it. The plate is submerged in mild acid for between five to twenty minutes; the acid attacks the bare metal to leave a groove. The plate is rinsed and then cleaned with Lincoln wash, the sticky backing film removed and the edges of the metal plate chamfered with a file and burnisher. The etched metal is warmed on a hot plate and intaglio ink spread around the metal sheet with a card. Wiping back is a crucial skill ensuring sufficient surface ink is removed whilst enough is left to provide varied tone or chiaroscuro, this takes a lot of practice. Meanwhile the paper (Cartridge, Tracing, Kent or ‘bread and butter) is soaked for at least ten minutes, drained off and dried between blotting paper.
Lines drawn using a ‘dremel’ into hard ground. (Mark H Jones 2024)
Hard ground on a zinc plate in the acid bath. (Mark H Jones 2024)
Etched plate cleaned with Lincoln wash and chamfered. (Mark H Jones 2024)
Printing with an Etching Press UoP Printmaking. (Mark Howard Jones 2024)
Inked etching plate on etching press bed before the damp paper is placed on top with another a layer of tissue pape addedr to protect the blanket. (Mark H Jones 2024)
Attempts to ink the plate and wipe back, in some cases overdone. (Mark H Jones 2024)
The damp paper draws the ink out of the etched lines when compressed in an etching press.
To get a decent print, the paper should be damp, I was blotting and drying it too much, and that meant the paper stuck to the plate. I also removed too much ink until I realised much could be done modulating the tone by selectively wiping areas of ink away, this is known as 'plate tone'. Some of my designs have relied purely on line and lack tonal variation, so when creating an image to etch it is useful to know how the process works, I have been doing this by trial and error and now appreciate how skillful etching is.
Let Loose. Etching 15 × 21 cm Mark H Jones 2024
I continue to call upon Jordan’s expertise and he has recently reviewed my efforts, providing suggestions on how to improve, I list my practical experiments regularly on social media: https://www.instagram.com/mark.jones.art/reels/
Park Map 7.5 × 15 cm Etching Mark H Jones 2024
Ros Simms gave tutorial feedback on my portfolio of etchings and explained how best to register multiple plates, along with the importance of using tissue paper to clean the plate without dislodging the ink where needed. She showed me fantastic examples of etching and mezzotint and I realise my efforts fell way short, I think I could have saved time and effort by asking for more direct instruction. The etching process has been fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. I look forward to persevering with this fascinating process.
