All in a Day’s Work!

Some processes are less involved than others, or so I learnt when I visited the very helpful technicians, Rudi and Warren when I tried out a new technique called polymer etching. I  decided to do this exciting new experiment for my “Reflections of Paris” series, and it did not disappoint.

Polymer etching is a photographic process on a polymer etching plate. You start by exposing your artwork on a photosensitive solar plate in a light box. It is very technical for me, and you need specific equipment for this process. So in order to see if I want to pursue this, these two gentleman were extremely helpful and entertaining! After exposing, you carefully wash the chemicals off with a brush and luke warm water. You then use a pressure gun to dry the plate, before it hardens further in an oven.

Once the plates were burnt and ready, I went home to experiment on my own press. You ink and print each one individually, as you would a normal copper plate etching, and then run it through a printing press. This is a very long and labour intensive process, but I loved the feel of the freshly printed artworks, and will definitely do this again!You could visit my portfolio online to see how this series develops!

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