During the lesson I made an Intaglio print called an etching. I did this by using a scribe (or compass) to scratch my design into the thin rectangle of acrylic plastic. Because the plastic was clear it was easy to trace any image onto it. The next step was to soak a piece paper in a water bath for a few minutes. The paper should be thick, good quality (the higher gsm, the better) and larger than the size of your plastic.Once the paper has been soaked for long enough, hold the paper up above the bath until it has completely stopped dripping and then weigh it down inbetween blotching paper and under a heavy piece of wood. While the paper is being blotched you can move onto the next step. Using gloves to protect your hands, cover the dabber in a little oil based ink. Put a sheet of newspaper under the plastic, with the scratched surface facing up. Apply the ink by rocking the dapper from side to side until the whole thing is covered. Next you get a scrim and using your hand at one end as a barrier, clean the ink of from the plastic, ensuring it stays inside the etched lines, repeat this by turning the plastic around and wiping in the other direction. Do so until all the ink has been removed. By now your paper should be blotched enough for use. Place your plastic onto a piece of scrap paper insuring the scratched side is facing up, then place the paper which has been soaked and blotched carefully on top of your plastic design. Then onto this lay a thin sheet of tissue paper and slide it up to the edge of the intaglio press roller. Pull the blankets over the layers of paper, carefully sorting out any bumps or creases. Finally turn the wheel until the load has come out at the other end. Remove the blankets and peel away the tissue paper. Slowly lift your paper and you will find your design in mirror image printed on to it. WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED? Intaglio prints work because the damp paper under the pressure of the roller is squeezed into the lines that you previously scratched out.
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