Above are two of my current prints. I've been working on a series of Intaglio prints involving the male figure in various states of undress. I truly do love the male form.
In my Intro to Intaglio class we've been working with hard grounds, the foundation of intaglio printing. This type of printing is done on metal plates usually and involves various etching techniques. The use of a hard ground is a very basic, but useful way of making a print. If there's one kind of print I do the most it would be intaglio.
in·ta·glio
n. pl. inta·glios 1. Printing done with a plate bearing an image in intaglio.
When doing intaglio you start off with a metal plate, usually copper or zinc.
A hard ground is a surface on a print plate that is generated by using asphaltum, which is a natural tar like substance. It works as a repellant for the acid that will be used to etch an intaglio plate. Before doing anything you'll need to measure and cut your plates using some sort of cutter. My studio has a large, rather out dated piece of machinery, but with lots of time and patience it gets the work done. You'll then have to degrease your plate, because of course you've touched it and the zinc is now covered in your fingerprints. this can be done quickly in a sink with some sort of mild cleaning agent. Once that is done you're ready to apply your hard ground.
There are a few different ways to apply the substance. It comes in two primary forms, liquid and the chunky form shown above. The liquid form can be painted on with even brush strokes. The rock-like form must be heated before use and applied with a roller.
Once you have your plates evenly coated then you leave them to dry. Once they are dry then you can go ahead and draw into the surface with etching tools. These can really be any sharp object that is used to remove fine lines of hard ground so the acid can reach the plate.
And that my friends is how you apply a hard ground.
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