I have wanted to do a bat image for some time now. I have always loved bats and finally got round to joining the Bat Conservation Trust in 2014. I did in an evening class in Cardiff Print Workshop in September 2015 so decided to make a copper plate etching of a bat. I wanted to use some text to go with it and for a while could not think of anything. Then I remembered one of my favourite bits from Alice In Wonderland when the Mad Hatter sings "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!".
I didn't have the confidence to draw directly on to the plate so put the image on tracing paper and then transfered to the plate by going over the lines with pencil - similar to the process I use with rubber stamps.
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| Bat Drawing on Tracing Paper |
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| Image Transferred to Plate |
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| Stop-out scratched off Plate - ready for etching |
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As with the rubber stamps I typed the text on a typewriter and then scanned it and enlarged it. It was easier than I thought to draw it/scratch out the stop-out on the plate.The plate is then etched with ferric chloride and you can see the result below.
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| Plate Etched |
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| First Print from plate |
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| Final Print |
The final print is not as I imagined and unfortuantley the text was lost in the process. I messed up the plate a bit but, it wasn't a total loss, thanks to the guidance of Bill Chambers the tutor who helped me 'rescue' it :-) I still like it though, the bat coming out of the darkness.
After completing the image I wanted to try it on a rubber stamp to see the results - and I did. I will post pictures and the process soon :-)
Also if you want to try your hand at printing either as a total beginner or you want to try a new process like I did there are several courses at Cardiff Print Workshop I thoroughly enjoyed mine :-)
Labels: Work In Progress