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Technique Page
Encaustic
This ancient painting technique (Greece,
A.D.50-100) combines refined bee's wax, damar resin (a hardener), and
professional quality colored dry pigments. The three materials are
melted together to create the finished paint. Because the wax paint
becomes a fluid when heated, no solvent (such as turpentine) is needed.
Because bee's wax is so resistant to moisture, encaustic is one of the
longest lasting traditional paint media.
How I work with Encaustic:
The best surfaces to work on with encaustic paints are both rigid and
absorbent. So I paint on birch plywood panels, as well as paper or
canvas that has been mounted.
I start with a drawing and under-painting to get the composition in
place. Then I cover the entire surface with a coat of clear wax/damar
medium to seal in the under-painting and create a consistent finish on
which to
add layers of colored paint. To keep the paint fluid while working,
all the colors are laid out on a hotplate. Then I pick up the paint
with a brush in one hand while holding a heat gun or iron (to keep the paint hot)
in the other hand. Once the paint layer starts to build up, I lightly go
over the entire surface with the heat gun again to fuse the
layers of paint with each other and to the surface below.
To finalize the details and clarify some of the shapes, I draw back into
the wax surface with a dull etching needle or whittled down paint brush
handle. The painting is then lightly heated again to soften and blend in
the incised details.
For more information about encaustic
paint, visit R&F
Handmade Paints
Drypoint
This "direct draw" technique has
been around since the early 1500's in northern Europe.
Drypoint is a hand printing method that involves drawing directly on a
16 gauge copper plate with either a steel etching needle or a diamond
pointed stylus. The force it takes to draw a line into the metal plate
pushes up copper on both sides of that line. This raised metal is called
the "burr". When hand inking the copper plate, the
"burr" catches most of the ink and gives the line work the
special velvety tone that is the signature look of drypoint. Because
copper is a relatively soft metal, the pressure of the printing press
crushes the "burr" after only about 10 to 20 prints are
pulled. This is why drypoint editions are relatively small compared to
other printing methods. Once the printing ink has dried, the print can
be hand colored using watercolor.
Etching
This technique was developed in the 1500's
and 1600's, (used most notably by Rembrandt in the mid-1600's, and in
the late 1800's by Whistler).
Etching is a process where line work and textures are "bitten"
into the copper plate by soaking it in a bath of corrosive acid (or in
my case, ferric chloride). First the copper plate is cleaned and coated
with wax that will protect the copper from the acid. Then the drawing is
made through the wax to expose the copper only in those areas. The plate
is placed in the acid, a short time for light lines and longer for dark
lines. Then the plate is cleaned and hand-printed. For each print the
copper plate is heated, hand-inked, hand-wiped and pulled through the
press. Then the prints are stacked to dry. Once the paper and printing
ink has dried, the print can be hand-colored using watercolor. Although
you can pull an edition of at least one hundred prints from the average
etching plate, I limit my editions to around 25 plus a few artist
proofs. I do all my own printing, and a smaller edition size helps keep
the value of each print higher in the long run.
Aquatint Etching
Developed in the 1700's (used most notably
by Goya in the late 1700 and early 1800's).
First you complete the etching process mentioned above to establish the
line work. Then to create texture and tone, you cover the copper plate
with powdered rosin and heat the plate to fuse the powder to it in little
dots. Then you paint out the areas that will remain white with a wax resist
and dip the plate in acid (ferric chloride). You then paint out the
light gray areas and dip the plate again. Next you paint out the darker gray areas, and
so on until you have all the white to black areas acid-bitten into
place. Then a test print is pulled and any last details are fine tuned.
Now the plate is ready to be inked and printed in the same hand-pulled
method explained above for etching. Once the print is dry, it can be
hand colored.
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Here are the names of a few books that
I've found helpful in my exploration of painting and printmaking:
- The Artist's Handbook of Materials and
Techniques, by Ralph Mayer
- Formulas For Painter's, by Robert
Massey
- The Art of Encaustic Painting, by
Joanne Mattera
- Printmaking, by Gabor Peterdi
- Printmaking Today, by Jules Heller
- The Thames and Hudson Manual of Etching
and Engraving, by Walter Chamberlain
- Etching, Engraving and Other Intaglio
Printmaking Techniques, by Ruth Leaf
greg@gregoryarnett.com
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