Untitled

A watercolor...more to come.

Untitled 8.2008

This is a pen and ink drawing. I have just re-discovered the quill pen and how really great it is to work with. I recently have been looking at old master drawings and admiring the artists skills and techniques. Among the chiaroscuro woodcuts and watercolors (which are amazing), crosshatching was used prevalently in both ink and charcoal drawings. I responded to the cross-hatching because that is the technique that I usually apply to my etchings. I felt there was no better and direct way to prepare my etching sketches than with a quill pen and inks. I hope to now do more preparatory sketches with this drawing technique which I hope will help to inform my new etchings.

Break 7.2008

This is a chine colle* etching with drypoint and aquatint. This plate will go through more changes before the final edition is printed. I used the Z-Acryl Hardground Emulsion for the first time on this print. I had a few issues with the hardground splintering when I was scratching lines into the surface. This only happened in a few small areas and I believe it was caused by hardground pooling near the edges. I was otherwise really happy with the results. I am using Ferric Chloride as the etching solution and instead of purchasing an expensive vertical etching tank I am using a plastic sealable cereal box (available at any large grocery store). So far the acid is staying put and not dissolving the plastic.

My goal is to create as small as an environmental footprint as I can in producing etchings. Ferric Chloride in a liquid form is quite safe but when it gets old it needs to be disposed of properly. The bottom of the solution contains the copper that was etched off of the plate which poses an environmental problem when washed into the sink and eventually into the environment. If you use Ferric Chloride please call your local hazardous waste disposal handler to find a drop off location. In Portland, Oregon please contact Metro (http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=24267).

The aquatint in this print was produced with a spray enamel. I hope to stop using spray enamel and convert to the Z-Acryl Hardground Emulsion. This emulsion can be airbrushed onto the surface of a plate, and according to the website, providing really great results. I hope to try this on my next plate and will publish the results.

*thin Hosho paper was glued to thick Murillo paper during the printing process hence the yellow color of the paper

Birdflak 6.2008

This drypoint etching is a proof printed on the Dick Blick 906 Press. I have been having great luck lately with the quality of prints that this little work-horse press has been producing. I plan on working into this plate a little more and will post it once it is completed.