Evolution of a print

Ramses, my art critic (I'm not sure if him sitting on my art means he likes it or exactly the opposite), thought I should show you my final three prints and some of the before and after photos. 

So, here is the first one, which you had already seen after the first printing. It was a process of white ground on an aquatint. I then wanted to tone down some of the highlights, but the ground I used to stop out the areas I wanted to keep light, failed and the whole image ended up dark.

That's when I thought it was ruined. But my teacher said that as long as there is copper, it can be fixed.

So after burnishing and burnishing some more and then a sugar lift and aquatint to bring back some darks, here is the final print of this. So much more beautiful than it would have been had I not "ruined" it.

The same happened with this next print. Here, you can see the white ground painted onto the copper plate. The areas that are white will etch less than the areas that are left uncovered.

After the first printing, I again wanted to do some more work on it - there were several areas that I wanted to tone down and define some more. 

And again, the ground I put on to stop out areas I wanted to keep the same, failed and everything was dark and looked totally ruined to me.

And again, it wasn't. I burnished and did another sugar lift and aquatint and love the final print. All those different layers were so necessary for the end result.

And then there is my third print, my serious self-portrait that you have already seen. I wanted to show you the white ground on the copper plate though because I worked it reductively.

I first applied a layer of white ground to the whole plate and then drew on it (and thereby removing the white ground to allow the copper to be etched) with a blending stump. And then I used a paper towel to work in the larger shadow areas.

After the first printing, I cropped the image, which simply means I cut off part of the copper plate, to make it more interesting to me. I didn't need to do any other work on it. This one was finished after the first couple of processes.

This morning I pulled editions of three prints for each of these images and all went beautifully. I have really grown to love this class and process. I have learned so much not only about etching, but about myself. It was so challenging at times and at the same time so rewarding.

Today, as I inked my plates nine times, wiped the ink off nine times, printed nine times, I found it relaxing and quite meditative, something I had not believed possible at the beginning of the class.

And while I am writing this about the copper plates I thought were ruined and how the end result was so much better than the initial print I had planned, I am reminded of our lives and how we often wish we could only have the good times and not the rest.

But isn't it the totality of our experiences that adds depth and beauty to our lives? At least that's what I find in my life. I love the person I am becoming and this person would not be possible without every single experience I have had in my life. And for all of those experiences - truly all of them - I am eternally grateful!