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Engraving

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.15, 1:30pm

Location: Chandler 260

Subject: Polishing copper plate

Materials

Polished both sides of copper plate with a dime-sized amount of copper polish (3% 2-butoxyethanol) and paper towels. Same procedure and materials as polishing zinc plate.

Ad advised us that we would know when the plate was sufficiently polished when the surface was shiny enough to “see your eyelashes.” After polishing the plate for about five minutes, the plate was noticeably shinier but still nowhere near the desired shininess. I applied another dime-sized amount of copper polish and continued to polish the plate. After this second round, I held up the plate, which was shiny enough to be used as a mirror. I did notice that I could actually see my eyelashes. It was still, however, slightly cloudy in some areas. For example, a round spot remained on the area where I first deposited my copper polish.

Polished both sides of plate until I could see my eyelashes. Each side took 12-15 minutes (a rough estimate - I took a few breaks to rest my arm!)

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.16, 1:10pm

Location: My apartment

Subject: Practice engraving

Practiced engraving with a burin based on the template provided by Ad. The burin was initially very awkward to hold and maneuver. It took several tries (resulting in very short or interrupted strokes) to hold the burin at the correct angle and hold the copper plate in place. After engraving a square on the template with straight lines, finding the angle to hold the burin became automatic.

Engraving spirals and circles is still difficult.

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.18, 9:30pm

Location: My apartment

Subject: Practice engraving, continued.

Continued practicing engraving with a burin based on the template provided by Ad. Some of the straight lines I engraved are even and result in small curls of copper dislodging at the end of each stroke. However I also made a significant number of even but short lines, which produced sharp burrs.

Image URL:

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.22, 1:30pm

Location: Chandler 260

Subject: Engraving design

Materials

Procedure

I used the same design for my etching, engraving and linoleum in order to experiment with how I would need to adapt the design to each technique and observe differences across the prints.

I used the second side of my copper plate for this engraving. Unlike with the etching and linoleum block, I freehanded the design for my engraving, but still based it on my photograph of a lizard on an agate. I drew a very rough outline of the agate and lizard on my copper plate with a sharpie pen.

Image URL:

Name: (Also the name of your working partner)

Date and Time:

2018.10.22, 7:30pm

Location: My apartment

Subject: Engraving design, continued

I continued to engrave my design of a lizard with a burin. For the lizard’s spikes, I was able to use quick, short strokes. There are no circles on the lizard design and the curves in this design were easy to follow. There also seemed to be more room for error. It was also not difficult to continue lines that stopped short and make them look continuous, and there was enough texture (e.g. in the lizard’s spikes and cross-hatched areas) to mask stray, unintentional lines. For these reasons I thought this design was easier than the template. My entire engraving, however, seems shallower than the template, likely because my strokes were faster and less precise.

I noticed that areas of detail such as the hands and feet have sharp burrs that will need to be sanded down.

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.23, 1:00pm

Location: Teacher’s College Printmaking Workshop

Subject: Preparing copper plate for printing

Held copper plate over a counter with the bottom corner projecting out from the counter at a slight angle. Used the curved beveling tool on all four sides and followed with the beveling knife.

Sanded down corners with 1200 sandpaper.

Same procedure as beveling zinc plate.

Sanded surface to be engraved with 1200 sandpaper and water until burrs were removed.

Image URL:

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.23, 1:00pm

Location: Teacher’s College Printmaking Workshop

Subject: Preparing copper plate for printing

Materials

Procedure

Placed print on newspaper at the inking station set up. Scooped a few pea-sized amounts of black ink and dabbed it onto my copper plate, taking care not to scratch the plate with the palette. Spread the ink with a piece of cardboard using left to right and up to down motions for two to three minutes. Rubbed the ink in circular motions with a wad of cloth tightly bound into a ball-like form for two to three minutes.

To remove excess ink, I folded a piece of newsprint in half and pressed it onto the plate. I rubbed the plate and newsprint with the heels of my hands. Repeated this six times.

Wiped off the rest of the ink with newsprint folded into eighths, using circular motions and holding the newsprint parallel to the plate. I tried to just let the surface of the newsprint pick up the ink instead of scrubbing the plate in order to avoid removing too much ink.

I knew I had made very shallow cuts with the burin and I could see this as I was inking the plate--the relief was very faint. I spent about the same amount of time inking both plates, so I think I might not have pressed the ink thoroughly into the copper plate in the first place. If I were to print my engraving again, I would be more thorough in my inking.

I was less confident that my plate will print successfully than I was as I inked my zinc plate, where I could see the ink deposited in relief very clearly.

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.23, 1:45pm

Location: Teacher’s College Printmaking Workshop

Subject: Printing copper plate

Materials

Procedure

Placed plate engraving side up on newsprint onto roller press. Removed gloves. With clean hands picked up damp watercolor paper by two opposite corners and placed onto plate. Placed felt blanket over print matrix.

Turned roller press crank until the felt blanket was completely on the other side, except for about a centimeter. This roller press is larger than the one used for the linoleum prints.

Used the same roller press as with printing the zinc plate.

Removed blanket and newsprint. Print is faint but legible. There is barely any background tone.

Name: Angel Jiang

Date and Time:

2018.10.23, 2:05pm

Location: Teacher’s College Printmaking Workshop

Subject: Cleaning zinc plate

Materials

Procedure

Poured enough soy solvent to plate to cover it--soy solvent is very thin / not viscous, so this didn’t require a lot--and rubbed in circular motions with my (glove covered!) fingers. It was more difficult to remove the ink on this plate than on the zinc plate, likely because the incising/impression on the copper plate is so faint. I estimate it took twice as long to fully remove the ink.

Washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Ink must be removed or it will dry and make it difficult to create additional prints with this plate.