Intaglio Printmaking - Completing the Process

In a previous blog post (2nd March 2018) I reflected on the introduction I was given to the Intaglio printmaking process. Marcin, the Intaglio professor who can speak English, showed us how to prepare the plate and gave an explanation of the three techniques - etching, aquatint and drypoint.

The stage I got to in my last post - varnishing the plate ready to be drawn onto using a sharp needle

Preparing the Image on the Plate 
Once I had finished preparing the plate before drawing into it, I covered the back with duct tape to ensure it wouldn't get scratched or stuck to any surfaces through the next stages of the process. Then, I went on to produce the first layer etching on my plate referencing a drawing I had prepared. I chose a pen sketch I had created of the doorway of St. Mary's Church, Katowice. This religious building is an important part of Katowice's classical architecture, it is situated at the end of the famous 'Mariacka street'. It is actually one of the first buildings I came across when I had a look online at images of Katowice before I came to study abroad. I decided to draw this image because I have an interest in decorative doorways of buildings and I like the cultural history behind the architecture.

As I mentioned in my previous Intaglio printing post, I also thought I would link the final prints to my 'Simulacra' project, set by the Interdisciplinary Actions class but as I developed that project I decided the religious doorway intaglio print didn't really fit in with my chosen theme of 'Time' anymore. I am keeping the first images as test prints. The prints relate to the culture of Katowice so they do have a visual purpose in that sense.

My original pen drawing 

I used a sharp needle to draw the first layer, making sure I only scratched the surface to create a thin line because it is not necessary to make big dents with the needle. The etching process involves creating a light to a dark line, so I thought about the fact that the first layer would have the lightest line in the final print. I ensured the lines were separate, an important factor we were told to stick to. Once the first layer sketch on the zinc plate had been created, I put the plate into an acid bath to soak for about 10 minutes. The plate is then rinsed/cleaned with water. I repeated this process for two more layers of drawing. The image developed from a simple to a precise line drawing.

Simplifying my drawing for the first layer 

Beginning incision into zinc plate 

The sharp needle I use to draw into the metal 

First layer - ready to be soaked in the acid bath

The bath of acid was fairly weak as it is mixed with water. Health and safety is highly considered, we have to be very careful when placing the plate down in the bath and picking it back up to ensure the acid does not splash into eyes. I left my plate for 20 minutes for the first layer, I left the second layer for 15 minutes and the third layer for 10 minutes. At this stage, I discussed my drawing with the professor. He said he thought it would work well with a mixture of etching and aquatint printing. He said in future, I could change the composition slightly by moving the doorway down so that it isn't coming off the page and adding line to the foreground. This would help to create more depth and I could also make the image bigger. I intend to work larger for my next print.

Etching - Preparing and Printing the Image 

The next session began with preparing the plate for printing. This involved washing and removing the varnish from the plate using white spirit. The whole plate was then covered in ink including the incision, using a piece of linoleum. Using a piece of netting, I removed a little ink and then used scraps of paper to remove more, rubbing the plate using a round circulation in all directions. The incision is the only area that needed to still be inked. Ink was removed from the edges and then I chalked the edges to protect them during the printing process.

I placed a piece of newsprint on the press, placed my plate down and placed another piece of newsprint on top, with a piece of paper to print on in between these layers. I used soaked paper for the print transfer because it is more elastic than dry paper. I soaked it in a bath of water, placed it between two pieces of paper and then used a rolling pin to help to decrease some of the moisture. There shouldn't be too much water on the surface for printing. White cardboard can also be soaked and used for Intaglio printing.

I then layered the felt mat on top, checked the pressure and spun the press to create the print. I used the smaller printing press in the studio but when I make a bigger plate I will use the bigger printing press.

Once I had finished the etching printing, I cleaned the plate with white spirit and then rinsed it with chalk and water. Then I allowed the plate to dry for a few minutes.

Aquatint - Preparing and Printing a Tonal Image 
I was then taught how to use the same plate to create an aquatint print. This process began with the plate being put into a resin box, laid on a piece of paper. The handle was spun until a cloud of resin could be seen and left for around 10 minutes. I then took the plate out of the resin box and placed it on the hot plate for a few minutes, sprinkling a few resin pieces on the plate so I could create a speckled print.

I was aiming to create a 3 tonal layer of aquatint so I thought carefully about where I wanted the lightest and darkest tones to be placed in the image. I started with filling in the lightest tone for the first layer, using a water-resistant marker. I could also use the ink that is kept in the printmaking cupboard, oil pastel or a graphite crayon. After completing the first layer, I placed the plate in the acid bath for 20 seconds to create a light grey tone when it is printed. The second layer was left for 30 seconds and the third layer for 2 minutes. If I were to create more layers I could leave the plate to soak in the acid bath for up to 5 minutes. The longer the duration, the more intense the tone is.

Adding tone - first layer 

Third layer of tone 

How the plate looked after the aquatint print 

The plate after aquatint with drypoint added on top

The actual print process was the same as etching, cleaning the marker pen off rather than varnish but the inking and printing press procedure was the same. I really like how my aquatint print turned out. It's not perfect and perhaps this doesn't suit the subject matter because it is religious and features biblical figures but the technique worked well to give the doorway added depth that is not observed in the etching. I look forward to experimenting more with the aquatint technique.

Drypoint - Preparing and Printing on top of a Tonal Image 
Once I had finished printing the aquatint image, I washed over the plate with white spirit and water.

The third print I created uses the drypoint technique. I added further lines using the sharp needle over the last aquatint layer. Unfortunately, this didn't work particularly well in my test print because I didn't make the new marks expressive enough to be seen easily but I will improve this in my next print.

Three final test prints
Top left - etching, middle right - aquatint, bottom left - drypoint

To summarise, I really enjoyed learning how to create an Intaglio print and being taught three different techniques. I hope to come up with a subject for my next print that references the work I have done for other classes so far and my experience of studying in Poland in general.