NEIU Printmaking

To process photo plates:

1) Print out a copy of your image on transparency paper, using a laserprinter or xerox machine.

2) Peel off black photo coat that protects plate.

3) Place plate (blue side up) in vacuum unit.

4) Place transparency, toner side down on the plate. This will create the closest contact and clearest image.

5) Being very careful and supporting the glass frame, lower and lock glass frame. The catch often sticks, so be patient and hold the glass from underneath.

6) Switch on master switch.

7) Switch on vacuum.  Wait until the dial goes into the green.

8) Lower shield.

9) Set timer to 11 minutes.

10) Press last switch on the right to “Manual.” This will turn on the UV light. Start timer.

After the timer has gone off, make sure that you turn off the vacuum unit and all of the switches, prior to removing your plate.

11) Take plate and bring into acid room.

12) Place plate in Lye Photo Developing bath for 2 minutes. Agitate the bath while the plate is inside.

13) After two minutes, remove plate from developer and place in water bath.

14) Scrub the plate gently to remove any photo emulsion that is stuck on black areas of your image.

15)  Etch in acid bath.

If your plate has large open areas (lots of zinc is showing), follow the etch times for aquatint (2 minute intervals). If your image has a lot of line work, follow etch times for line (25 minutes for a light etch, 35 minutes for a medium etch, 45-55 minutes for heavy etch).

16) Grind/scrape the edges of your plate.

17) Print.

An aquatint is a good way to put in a swatch of value in an etching. When you create an aquatint, you will be placing a dotty texture on the plate that you will be able to vary the darkness of.

1) Clean plate with ammonia and water.

2) Dry off.

3) Paint out any areas you want to leave white with stop out varnish or hardground.

4) Mist plate with a fine dusting of spray paint.

5) Place plate in acid for 2 minutes at a time, dust off bubble every minute.

6) After 2 minutes, remove from acid.

7) Wash off.

8) If you want a darker value, repeat steps 4-7 until you reach the darkness you would like.

9) Wash off spray paint with alcohol. Hardground can be removed with soy solv.

If you would like a stronger, crisper and more permanent line on your plate, you should use the acid and etch the line in. When we etch zinc plates, we use a 10:1 solution of water to nitric acid. The acid is strong enough to create a nice line if the plate sits in the acid bath for a bit of time.

To begin:

1) Degrease your plate.

This is done by creating a paste of ammonium, water and whiting. Rub the paste on your plate and wash off with water. You will notice that the plate will become a bit shinier. Degreasing the plate will allow any of the protective grounds to stick to the plate better and decrease the risk of foul biting.
2) Hardground your plate.
There are multiple ways to put on hard ground. Hard ground also comes in multiple forms like ball ground (solid) and liquid ground. We will be using the liquid ground to cover our plates.

Get a tray for the run off hardground from your plate to go into. Pour some ground over your plate and tip the plate back and forth 2X to get an even and thin coat. You do not want to have too thick a coating because it may pop off your plate. Allow the ground to dry on the hot plate. This can take a few minutes. If your coat does not look good, you can remove the ground with soy solvent or mineral spirits.
3) Scratch off the ground for any lines you want etched.

4) After putting on safety equipment, place plate in the acid bath. Be careful not to splash.

5) Leave in bath– Every 15 minutes, you should brush off the bubbles formed around the lines.
45-55 minutes will give you a  dark line.

35 minutes will give a medium value line.

25 minutes will give a light line.

6) Check the depth of your line using a needle tool. If you are happy with the strength of your etch, remove the ground with mineral spirits or soy solvent.
7) Print or proof your plate.

Creating a drypoint is pretty simple. Many artists will use this technique to plan out there composition or to get a variety of lines. The only problem with drypoint is that lines will fade over time and prints.

Creating a drypoint:

1) Putz Pomade your plate.

2) Buff the plate to a mirror shine with a rag. This will make it easier to see your lines.

3) With a needle tool, create a line by pressing down at a 45 degree angle. Use more pressure, if you want a darker line.

4) Proof on damp newsprint to check your lines.