This plate has been around the studio for months. I soaked it in vinegar before I realized vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and salt make a great ad hoc etching solution. So it had a tone on it very similar to the kind you put on a…
I put a softground on this and also did a spot etch for the Blessed Virgin’s face. I put the etching solution on with a brush locally and let it sit for two minutes. I scraped and reshaped the cliff next to the Virgin and…
I wanted to give the print more contrast, so I did a lot of drypoint and engraving, and polished the areas I wanted very light. Now I have to adjust everything else in relation to what I did. The Blessed Virgin’s face is still in…
I did a lot of scraping and burnishing for this proof. No etching bath for this one. I toyed with the idea of soft ground, but I may not need it. I’m getting the tenebrism I want without it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix…
I guess this is the awkward adolescent phase of an etching. There is a lot that goes into the first three or four proofs that doesn’t make the final cut. My usual routine is to really mess it up and find the beauty in the…
The first proof usually doesn’t merit a trip to a scanning bed. In keeping with that, I just took a pic with a phone camera and fooled around with it on the phone’s Photoshop app. The first proof usually doesn’t merit a trip to a…
Major revision. Erased the two figures on the sides in the foreground and moved St. Mary Magdalene over to the right. I was able to reveal the Blessed Virgin’s entire body and give her a place to plant her feet. The elimination of the figure…
This is a lot closer. I have to define the crown of thorns better. Then maybe it’s time to go to the plate. I redrew Jesus’ legs and hands. Redrew the Blessed Virgin’s face. Redrew Mary Magdalene’s face. Redrew Mary, wife of Cleopas’ face over…
For the past nineteen days or so I’ve been struggling with this, first in my mind, and then on paper. It started out as 12x18in. but I cut it down, There was too much going on. I had Roman soldiers reacting to the earthquake and…
I’m close to an artist proof with this one. I guess I’ll wait a day or so to decide. The paper is soaked and ready for an edition. My thing now is I kind of like this. I know I’m sending Scourging at the Pillar to a…