Printmaking is a channel for self-expression
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Take a close look at the bottom left of the heart. Did you notice anything?
"Bloom" is my first etching art from 2020. I wanted to create a piece that is considered beautiful — not because of its flawlessness. Look at the bottom left of the heart again, the stitches, did you see them?
Nathaniel Branden’s writing perfectly conveys the underlying meaning behind this piece:
“Then the challenge became to accept the resistance, to allow the fighting and denial, to experience that — and to wait. It was an act of trust, trust in the organism’s powers of self-repair, trust that if I did my best not to disown my experience and to own my moments of disowning when they did occur, eventually a healing integration would happen. This is what happened, and what continues to happen.”
The Iterative Design & Etching Process
1. gather idea
Sketch and collect stencils. My initial theme/ideas are life stages, water, and solitude.
2. set the theme
This project proceeded with an emphasis on the mental strength we gained from solitude.
3. transfer drawings
Etch the metal plates in the acid solution, where the chemical reaction occurs.
4. get the first proof
5. continue design planning
Tonal etching requires planning ahead as duration that the metal plate submerged in the acid will affect the value of print detail.
Proofs allows me to test out how different values, compositions, line weights, affect visual communication.
6. the final print
For this edition (an edition is a set of identical prints made from the same metal plate), I produced 8 prints in total.
For this piece I wanted to play with texture by using powdered resin to create a tonal effect.
Tonal etching practice
Glass
Tonal etching requires detailed planning since the duration of the metal plate staying in the acid solution (where chemical reactions occur) influences the value of every print detail.
