Intaglio Printmaking - The Farm

The next process we explored in printmaking was etching, or it's formal name, Intaglio.  In this process marks are made on a copper plate, ink is rubbed into those tiny lines and then transfered to paper through the press.  The process of etching the copper plate is not as straight forward as it would seem.  Once you have burnished the copper plate, insuring the surface is smooth and free from oils, you coat the plate in 'hard ground', which is a thick coating that resists acid.  You then carve your design in the plate through the hard ground and dip the whole plate in acid for about 30 minutes.  The acid 'bites' the exposed copper.  Wash off your ground and you'll find your design scored in the copper.

On the left: my copper plate coated with hard ground.  I transfered my sketch (right) to the plate by coating the back with a colored chalk pastel and retracing the lines. 

The concept our class was working from was 'identity'.  I started thinking about how so much of who I am and what I love is tied to the farm.  I thought about the generations of Tietjes cultivating the land and the impressions each one leaves through their work.  So I refashioned an aerial map of the farm, transforming the contour lines, or levees, of the rice fields into an aggregate of fingerprints.  I received really positive reviews from the class on my interpretation of this concept... it seemed to resonate with the audience.

I added another twist to the printing of this plate by incorporating chine-colle.  This method adds a bit of color to an otherwise black and white print by pressing the inked plate to a piece of colored paper coated in glue.  So when I ran this through the press it glued the sheet of tracing paper to the hefty cotton paper and impressed the image at the same time.  It was a headache trying to get this all lined up, making sure the glue didn't bleed too much, ect., but I really like the warm, aged feel of the print.  

I bit this plate in acid at two different times to get a hierarchy of linework.  I really liked all the detail that could be achieved with different types of hatchwork and textures, and I played with those methods to create depth and value in the image.  I'm pleased with the results, although I didn't like the process.  (Inking the plate is time-consuming and very dirty!) 

(To all my Tietje readers: I've got a print for each of you.  Maybe I could frame one for Christmas? :)).