My etching press

Creating collagraphs with petronella, my etching press

I have decided it is about time I started to use the small etching press that I bought earlier this year. I have such a first love for relief printing that I have not spent much time getting to know the press and trying my hand at some Intaglio techniques. (This is where the ink is pushed into the lines/ grooves and shapes of the plate and then squeezed out by the press onto the paper- the opposite of relief printing).

I am not about to start printing my lino or wood using this press - by the way I have called her Petronella or Nella for short! But I am planning some collagraph and dry point.

Mount card is great for collagraphs

Today sees me working very small

The advantage of small pieces is that they might be carved more quickly and so printed more quickly which leads to both discoveries and realisation of mistakes made sooner! I have decided that when learning a process go small and quick so that you get the feedback and can adjust techniques without the frustration of spending ages for nothing!

You can see I am playing about with bits of mount card which I am cutting and carving and tearing off layers. Each plate has not really been planned or designed- more of a sampler to see what marks I can make and how they look! I am enjoying the simplicity of kit and space needed before printing- once the ink and Nella are in action it will be a different situation altogether!