Plate Making and Printing

	Wax ground The copper plate is heated and a thin layer of beeswax & tallow is applied to cover the surface of the plate

	Smoking the plate The soot from flaming tapers mixes with the wax, providing a hardened matt surface on which to draw

	Creating the image Drawing with an etching needle onto the plate. The lines created expose the copper underneath the the layer of wax

	Refering to my sketches Working from my sketchbook and from life the image starts to develop

	Finishing touches Adding the final detail. Fish scales take a long time!!

	Ready to etch The drawn plate ready to go in the acid

	Etching Nitric acid biting into the exposed lines on the plate. The wax prevents acid biting elsewhere

	Cleaning the plate Using turps to clean off the protective wax layer, to expose the lines bitten into the copper

	The image emerges As the image emerges you begin to picture how the finished print will look

	Inking and wiping the plate The plate is heated and ink is forced into the etched lines using a leather dabber. The ink is held in the etched lines while the excess is removed

	Printing the plate The plate is rolled through the press onto slightly damp paper - the paper has been soaked and laid down for a couple of days

	The finished print The ink is warm, the paper soft, so the paper is forced into the lines creating the print

Debby Mason - Marine Life Etchings