Here is my technique to create a soft-ground etching

The soft-ground etching is made with a softer ground, the artist puts a piece of paper over the metal plate and draws on it.

In this technique I generally prefer etching copper but of course also zinc etching is made by many artists.

I begin by putting a metal plate on a hot plate and apply a ground (a special wax made for soft-ground etchings) on the metal plate by hand. It does not dry hard and is impressionable. I spread it evenly using a little roller.

I then take the metal plate off the hot plate, place a tissue paper over it and begin drawing with a pencil, as if I were drawing normally, but put a wood base under my hand to keep me from touching the ground because every pressure produces an imprint. Some artists use this possibility and apply materials such as leaves, objects, hand prints and so on which will penetrate the soft ground and expose the plate underneath.

I can draw with different kinds of pencils to make different strokes, the final soft-ground etching resembles a drawing. I also use different pressures. Of course, the stronger the pressure on the pencil, the darker is the line etched.

After drawing I remove the tissue paper, cover the back of the plate with scotch-tape leaving a strip longer in the center so that later I will be able to grasp the tape to more easily remove the plate from the acid.

The plate is then completely submerged in an acid that eats the exposed metal. The etching process is known as biting. Of course the longer the plate remains in the acid the deeper the engraving becomes.

I check the biting and when the lines are engraved sufficiently, I remove the plate from the acid, wash it with water and dry it with a hair dryer.

If I want the lines to be deeper I put the plate in the acid again.

Often I like adding more lines over the previous drawing. I will then put contact paper on the plate and draw over it, thus creating various lines.

I repeat the procedure more times until I am satisfied, creating different marks. This way I can obtain chiaroscuro, light and shade effects, and more realistic works.

Then I take the plate by the strip of scotch-tape I left before and shake the plate a little over and over again to remove the impurity that forms during the biting.

When I have completely finished the engraving, I remove the ground with white spirit. Now the metal plate is ready to be inked and then put through a printing press with a damp sheet of paper to produce a limited edition.

After drying, I sign and number the prints with a pencil.

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