I run small, friendly and creative classes from my garden studio in Sissinghurst, Kent. Specializing in etching, lino, monoprinting and collagraph printing, I will lead you gently through the basic skills and eventually onto more advanced and unusual techniques of producing images. If you would like to join one of my classes then please email me at amandaaverillo@gmail.com.
Etching/Intaglio is a printmaking method in whereby an inked image is transferred to paper from the surface of a metal plate. First, a layer of wax is applied to the plate. A drawing is then made through the wax with a sharp tool, exposing the metal underneath. The plate is left in acid for a short time, where the exposed metal is bitten away, 'etching' your image into its surface.
Ink is then applied to the plate, which is printed onto dampened paper under heavy pressure by means of an etching press. The surface of the paper is pushed into the etched areas of the plate, picking up the ink to create a print. The plate can then be re-inked for multiple editions.
Other methods of creating marks and tones can then be added to the plate and reprinted, such as aquatint, soft ground and sugar lift etching. We will experiment with all of these and more.
Monoprinting differs to etching in that the image is composed of ink painted onto a thick sheet of perspex that can only be printed once; hence "mono".
