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INTAGLIO 101 Maury 2015

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INTAGLIO 101 Maury 2015 INTAGLIO 101 Maury 2015 Overview of the Intaglio Processes Etching and Drypoint are some of the more common techniques of the Intaglio printmaking process. In each case, grooves are made on a sheet of metal. These grooves or pits are then filled with ink, and the surface of the plate is wiped clean. When an image is printed on an etching press, the image is transferred from the plate to a piece of paper. Many identical prints can be pulled from a single plate, forming an edition. Drypoint Drypoint is very basic. The artist simply scratches the image onto the metal plate with the etching needle or stylus (copper works well because it is a softer metal than zinc or other metals often used for intaglio). No acid is involved. It can be difficult to control the needle on the slick metal surface. The metal forms a ridge along one side of the scratched lines as the artist draws. This gives a fuzzy look to the lines when the plate is printed. Going through the press many times, the pressure of the roller on the press forces the ridgeback down into the grooves. The result is that the image gets paler and paler. Etching Etching uses a mordant (such as an acid or other corrosive liquid) to create deep lines in the sheet of metal The artist applies a mordant resistant ground to the plate in a thin, even layer, and then draws the image on the plate. The stylus or etching needle removes the ground wherever the artist has drawn, exposing the metal. When the plate is immersed in the mordant, the metal is eaten away and the lines deepen. Lines etched for a long time are deeper and hold more ink than lines etched for a short time. This means that they print darker onto the paper. There are different kinds of grounds, both liquid and solid. They can give different looks to the line, or be used with different mordants. The Mordant Ferric chloride (a corrosive salt with no fumes) is a common mordant for etching copper plates The bath of mordant is in a vertical etching tank to minimize evaporation and to best handle the way the ferric chloride eats away the copper. Printing The paper for the print is made of cotton fibers, which give it enough strength to be forced down onto the plate under the pressure of the press, producing a rich image. First the paper is soaked in water, to give it flexibility. A tarlatan (starched cheesecloth) is used to carefully wipe the surface of the plate with ink, while leaving ink in all the etched areas. When the inking is complete, the image is clearly visible on the plate. All intaglio prints are printed on an etching press. The press has a bed on which the inked plate is placed, face up. Excess water is removed from the paper, and the damp sheet is placed face down on the plate. The plate is rolled through the press, at thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch. After printing, the print is air-dried or press dried under light pressure to flatten. For each successive print the entire inking process has to be repeated. 1 For this assignment you will need: • Copper plate (various sizes available) • Paper towels (if using hard ground) • Duct tape (if using hard ground) • Sponge brush (if using hard ground) • Newsprint • Printing paper (variable based on plate and a generous border size) • Acetate or mylar for printing registration HOW TO: Many metals can be using in the intaglio process. Traditionally, copper is used, but also zinc and steel. You can use roofing copper, which is relatively inexpensive or engraver’s copper, which is thicker and comes with a mirror finish and a mordant-resistant background. We use the engraver’s copper. Preparing the Plate 1. Attach plate to a level surface with felt scraps and clamps to keep the plate in place. Bevel all of the sides of the plate to a 30-45° angle and round the corners slightly. Start with a scraper tool to remover the majority of the material, then a fine metal file to smooth the edge somewhat. Lastly, smooth the edges with a burnishing tool and 3-in-1 oil. Make sure edges are completely smooth or they will collect ink. *Unbeveled edges can tear your printing paper and damage the press! 2. Polish the plate (as needed- this is optional, you may like the additional plate tone or slight marks of an unpolished plate) by buffing with Putz Pomade and a felt scrap or soft cloth until shiny. Rinse well with warm water. You can also smooth out minor scratches with your burnishing tool (and 3-in1 oil). For a really mirror like surface and no plate tone, you can rub your plate with 3-in-1oil (WITH THE GRAIN) and a very fine steel wool, and finish with a 2000 grit sandpaper. 3. Clean (degrease) the plate with a paste of ammonia and whiting powder (or you can also use Bon Ami or Comet). Wear gloves. Use a soft cotton rag to gently clean the plate until shiny. Rinse with water, the water should bead up on the surface and you should not see any finger prints or oily marks. 4. De-oxidize the plate (for good hard ground and aquatint adhesion) with the vinegar + salt solution. Move this around for a few seconds with your hands. 5. Rinse the plate well with water and dry immediately to prevent rusting/oxidation. *Be careful not to touch the plate directly while the plate is naked if you will be using a hard ground or before printing. Oils from your hands can cause the hard ground not to adhere to the plate. You may need to degrease the plate multiple times during the process. Drawing the image (for Drypoint) 1. Remember to REVERSE the image, or it will print the wrong way. This not only means that any writing or numbers will be back to front, but the visual flow of the piece will be different, and often not what you had envisioned. You can draw directly on to the plate with a Sharpie or a grease pencil. These marks can be removed before printing. You can also use carbon transfer paper to draw the image onto the plate or draw your image on a piece of tracing paper with a soft pencil and run it through the press. 2 2. Use a sharp (diamond or carbide tipped) etching needle to manually scratch the image into the metal plate. The force used with the etching needle will dictate the thickness or thinness of the lines as it raises a metal burr which will hold the majority of the ink in the image. For fine lines, press lightly while drawing and harder for darker lines. You can go over the lines several times to get the desired effect. 3. Unwanted lines can be scraped away and burnished. 4. When finished with the drawing, remove any marks from the drawing process with ammonia. Drawing the image (for etched images) A. Applying Liquid Hard Ground 1. Place your plate on several sheets of newsprint and heat on the hot plate at 400° until hot. 2. Remove plate (and newsprint) from hotplate and move to center table. Place a small object underneath to slightly elevate the plate (be sure it won't melt!). 3. Pour the liquid hard ground over the plate. Be generous enough so you can cover the plate on the first pour. It dries quickly and can get thick easily, which will crack and flake. 4. Smooth out the hard ground with a clean and dry sponge brush. It should be thin but not too thin, and not too thick or it will crack during drawing. 5. Dry horizontally. B. Applying Ball Hard Ground 1. Place your plate on several sheets of newsprint and heat on the hot plate at 400° until hot. 2. Remove plate (and newsprint) from hotplate and move to center table. 3. Press the ball of hard ground onto the plate in several spots until melted. 4. Smooth out the hard ground with a brayer. It should be thin but not too thin, and not too thick or it will crack during drawing. C. Drawing through Liquid Hard Ground 1. When the plate is thoroughly dry, make your drawing with an etching needle. You do not need much pressure to scratch though the hard ground. You don’t want to actually scratch the plate, so be careful with our pressure. 2. Remember to reverse the image, so that it will appear correctly when printed. You can use transfer paper to trace an image in reverse onto the plate or draw directly (and lightly!) onto the hard ground with a china marker or sharpie. D. Before Etching the Plate 1. Cover the entire backside of your plate with duct tape and trim so the tape is flush with the edges of the plate. Slightly overlap the strips of duct tape to prevent the etching solution from getting to (and etching) the back of the plate. If careful, you can use both sides of your plate. 2. Double two LONG strips of duct tape (attached to the back of the plate) to create a means to pull the plate out of the vertical etching tank. Make sure it is long enough to reach out of the large etching tank. 3 ETCHING THE INTAGLIO PLATE: 1. Be sure to leave the hard ground on your plate when etching, and have a long strip of tape securely attached to the back of your plate (long enough to extend out of the vertical etching tank).
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