Zinc Plate Etching Workshop Part 1
Zinc Plate etching is a brand new process for me to work with and play around with. Etching is something I had never done before, so I was curious about the process in general but also the outcome we would get to create with the process itself.
We used brasso to polish the zinc plates first
We then degrease the plates using a paste which is a mix of whitening (found within chalk) and ammonia
The plate is dried and then placed on a hot plate, heated up and we applied hard ground once hot enough. The ground is then spread around the plate with a leather roller and then left to cool down
Once the plate has cooled down and the ground has dried we then get to smoke the plate. Placing the plate into a wooden holder and smoking the plate with fire to blacken the plate - this just makes it easier to see what your etching
then your etching into the plate with an etching needle
once you're done etching you tape up the back before placing it into acid to stop the acid from teaching away at the back of the plate
if you need to you apply 'stop out' onto your plate were needed to block out any part of your etching that was a mistake or a scratched
place the plate into acid for at least 30 minutes
wash off ground and stop out
roll on ink, and using scrim wipe of the ink
print onto paper that is soft and thick we used summer set paper that was soaked
print with an etching press
This process was enjoyable at times and then at the same time it was very time consuming and stressful. If I was to use this as a process or a focus within my fmp I would have to plan carefully and have time management to be a big consideration for the process. However, my favourite part of the process was smoking the plate, mostly because I find a bit of fire fun, not in a concerning pyromaniac way though. It's a simple part of the process that makes your life easier when you etching into the plate, which is another reason I like this part of the process.
On my first print, I didn't realise we needed to remove the stop out, that covered catches or unwanted marks from the acid for printing - really it should've been obvious that I needed to remove it but I didn't. So as annoyed as I was, I went back removed the stop out and reapplied my ink and that's when I ran into my second issue.
Then on my second print, my first clear print, free of sticky zinc plates, I hadn't realised I'd lost detail as well as basic lines for my t-rex and has consequently printed an incomplete dinosaur. So I went back with the etching needle and dry etched directly onto the plate, The third time was the charm for my print and my problem solving did eventually pay off and I was able to have a clear print where I could see in full what I had etched onto my plate.
I'm pleased with my outcomes, well my third in particular because it was the first outcome to outcome as I anticipated but I don't like how squashed all of my lettering was especially at the bottom. I was more focused on writing all the letters backwards correctly than spacing and sizing the letters - so that's something to be conscious of if I use lettering again within etching.
Also mirror writing itself, is very difficult, not fun and takes a lot of brain power to make sure everything is correct. I know some might find mirror writing easier than others but my god did I struggle with mirror writing.
Overall the one thing I am happier about than other part of my print is the Simpsons reference I managed to sneak into my work. I used one of the proposed names for the 3 different species of t-rex from a news article this piece of work is based on from the previous day. The name proposed was 'tyrant lizard queen' and if you've watched the Simpson enough you'll likely know the phrase 'I Am The Lizard Queen' from Lisa Simpson. So naturally, I saw the opportunity and ceased it, and now I have a Simpson reference within my work.
Something I did really like about the etching process and looking at other people's work is that you have the ability to be ambitious with what you choose to etch and how you can execute that. You can create realistic and beautiful prints with time and skill - there are also different ways to use zinc plate etching other than just directly scratching onto the plate, you can add tone and create even further detailed pieces of work.
The process itself is fun and I did enjoy it but on the other hand, it's also time consuming and stressful at times also if your include text you'll next a spare 20 minutes to figure out how to write it all backwards. Like most things in life, this process has its pros and cons and although at the moment I can't see if I would use it as one of the main processes for my fmp I can say I'm interested in the process and the potential l what I could do with it.
But would I do it again? Yes, I would I found the process to interesting have a lot of potential depending on how I could utilise it in the future. I can see myself finding a way to bring the process into my work in the future, how - I'm not sure yet but I would love to see it make a return within my work. But from just doing the first part of the process I want to see what else I can create, that's more detailed and challenges me to draw and attempt to push myself.
Next week I'm excited to create a photosensitive plate and see how it differs from scratching in your own work next week. But I also want to see how the photo works differently to directly etching onto a plate.
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