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Copper plates
I love to use copper in my etchings. I love the feel and colour of copper. It is also great with 'non toxic' safer etching methods. I use traditional etching needles & a micro needle for very small lines. Tones are created with silk or spray aquatint. Patterns are created with watercolour spit-bite & resist etching techniques Textures are created with a roulette, drypoint & abrasive tools. I currently enjoy the challenge of working on small & mini plates. Some as small as 2cm! Many of the plates are hand-cut using a jewellers saw.
The Alchemy
Etching is a printmaking technique that uses chemical action to produce incised lines in a copper printing plate , which then hold the applied ink and form the image. Lines are drawn through the ground, exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid and the exposed metal is ‘bitten’, producing incised lines. Ink is applied to the sunken lines, but wiped from the surface. The plate is then passed through a printing press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the recessed lines.
