An Introduction to Less Toxic Etching on Copper with Mai Osawa – Weekend 9/10 December – 10am to 4pm

This weekend course is suitable for everyone, from beginners to those who would like the opportunity to learn the less toxic processes we employ in our Etching Room at Ochre Print Studio.

Instead of acid we use Ferric Chloride to etch our copper plates and etch Aluminium or Zinc plates with Copper Sulphate using BIG (Baldwins Ink Ground*) and a self-contained booth with a spray gun for applying Aquatint instead of the traditional dusting of rosin, which is highly toxic. We even eschew the use of White Spirit in the studio, preferring to use vegetable oil to clean up and a very diluted spray of Fairy Liquid to finish with, although we also permit the use of Lincoln Wash and Citri-wash for those who prefer these.

Over the weekend, Mai will teach you how to prepare your copper plate with BIG and create a hard ground needle line. She will show you how to ink up and print proof print with your etched plates. She will then show you how to add tonal values to your plate with aquatint, stop-out and stage-bite techniques. Mai will include demonstrations on different inking methods on your plates, including ‘colour blending’, ‘à la poupée’, and the use of Chine-collé.

All the basic materials are provided on the course with additional plates/paper available to purchase from the studio shop.

Date: Weekend 9/10 December
Times: 10am to 4pm
Cost: £180 / Members £170

*Andrew Baldwin helped us to set up our etching facility using non-toxic chemicals and processes. You can check out his website and tutorials here