“Leaning”
Course: Intaglio Printmaking
First state (left), Second state (right)Working proofWorking proofs1/5 in the edition 5/5 in the edition
“Leaning” is the first copper etching I made in my Intaglio printmaking course. As a continuation of my ongoing fascination with sycamore trees, I wanted to explore the interaction between the bark, branches and leaves. In the first few states, I approached the image as a structured line drawing. Then, using a Sharpie, I blocked out the shapes that I wanted to remain light and added aquatint to create value.
As simply an experiement, I rolled B.I.G Etching Ground onto my plate, placed dry leaves in the areas around the tree bark, and put it through the press. I was pleasantly surprised by the faint leaf veins that was impressed onto my image and found it creating greater visual interest for my print. I pulled an edition of 5 for this print.