These processes focus on using drawn or painted marks to produce intaglio plates. Sugar lift is a traditional method for achieving a direct painted mark on a plate. We will expand on that idea using pencils, oil pastels, and oil paint to make marks onto the plate. It is also possible to incorporate imagery made by other methods like relief or monotype by offsetting the ink onto our intaglio plates before grounding. What we draw as black, will print as black.
Unlike traditional lift grounds, our varnish will be aqueous so our oily marks will resist and lift away before etching. We will be making our own acrylic ground that can also be used with a needle, like a traditional hard ground.
The lift processes work well on any metal but we will be using aluminum and a relatively new etchant made from copper sulfate and salt. Aluminum has the unique property of aquatinting itself, removing the need for dusting rosin.
These processes and materials broaden the printmaker’s visual language while being safe and inexpensive
| Caran d’Ache – Grafstone – 6B | Prismacolor – Premier |
| Koh-i-Noor – Progresso – 9B | Faber Castell – Polychromos |
| Lyra – Graphite Crayon – 9B | Derwent – Coloursoft |
| Caran d’Ache – Grafwood – 9B | Caran d’Ache – Pablo |
| Staedtler – Mars Lumograph – 6B | Derwent – Lightfast |
| Tombow – Mono – 2B | Lyra – Rembrandt Polycolor |
| Cretacolor – Fine Art Graphite – 8B | Erengi – oil pastel |
| Faber Castell – Pitt Matt – 14B | Winsor & Newton – Winton – trace monotype |
| Caran d’Ache – Grafcube – 9B | Winsor & Newton – Winton – offset monotype |
| Pentel – Mechanical lead 0.5mm – 4B |
Method
Graphite and Oil Lift
Steps
- Sand the plate to your preferred level of polish. I find that a little tooth makes drawing easier, I use 1000 grit sandpaper and a palm sander.
- De-grease the plate
I use a chalk and vinegar paste and a kitchen scrubber but there are other ways. You’ll know it’s de-greased when water drains from the plate in a sheet and does not bead up. Pay attention to the edges too. Do not touch the face of the plate. - Draw on the plate. For graphite, soft pencils and sticks generally work best – above 2B. Be strong with your mark making. A light touch will not work. You can also use other waterproof materials such as oil pastels and Prismacolor pencils. Litho crayons can work but require less water in the ground.
- Print or offset ink onto the plate. Oil based ink or paint can be used directly or indirectly. Do not use water soluble varieties.
- Ground the plate. Place the plate into a tray and pour the ground over it, ensuring all areas are covered.
- Dry the plate. After removing the plate from the tray, allow it to dry vertically. The ground must be cured for the next step. You can use a hotplate on medium (about 50° C / 122° F) for 15 minutes, use a hair dryer or just wait perhaps overnight.
- Wash out drawing. Use a little odorless mineral spirits such as Gamsol and a paper towel or rag to gently wash your image away. Be patient and not too aggressive with your scrubbing; you don’t want to scrub the ground off. Wipe the plate dry with a paper towel or cloth. Allow the mineral spirits to evaporate. You can accelerate evaporation on the hotplate.
- Etch the plate. The plate can now be etched in your preferred etchant. I use aluminum plates and a copper sulfate/salt etchant. You can stop out any areas you don’t wish to etch at any time. Alcohol-based stopout may damage the acrylic ground. Dermatograph/China markers are useful too.
- Remove the ground. The ground is acrylic based so it can be removed with sodium carbonate. Note, this is not sodium bi-carboate. The former is washing soda while the latter is baking soda. Alcohol or citrus solvents will also remove the ground.
- Print!
Ground
I have experimented with many types of acrylic for use as a ground – artist materials and commercial floor polishes. The simplest, best performing, and most widely available is Liquitex High Gloss Acrylic Varnish mixed 1:1 with water. It’s important to use the acrylic varnish and not their Soluvar.
The most important thing is that it be water-based. You also want an acrylic that dries to a hard film that will withstand some scrubbing of the lift material.
If Liquitex isn’t available to you, other acrylics may work, just be prepared to experiment and you may need to adjust the ratio of water. If the varnish is too thick, your drawn marks may not lift.