Translating a pen & ink sketch with wash to a solar plate etching

a version that incorporates chine collé using hosokawa kozo (a light gold hue)
that is adhered onto Awagami bamboo ph neutral rag with wheat paste

This is the first proof of a new study that was printed from a small piece of Solar plate. It is a study of one of our pets named Dharma (she is no longer with us). Cats (and let's not forget dogs) are the perfect models as they usually don't give a whole lotta attitude (mmm... ok maybe the cats are more well known for this) and they work for nothing.

I saw Dharma napping and noticed a great pose and play of light that just beckoned me to capture this in some artistic format. It also was a good opportunity for me to experiment a bit more with polymer plate etching.

I have titled this Catnap. It is printed onto a piece of white Somerset Velvet cotton rag 250 gsm paper using Graphic Chemical Intense black oil ink.

Plate size is 7.5 x 12 cm (3 x 4 5/8 inches) and the paper size is 15 x 20 cm (6 x 8 inches)

this will be an open edition

 detail from Catnap

This started off as a pen and ink outline sketch on acetate done with a technical pen.

On an overlay piece of Grafix wet media Dura-lar film I applied washes of watercolour to define the form.

This film works very nicely with water based media like watercolour, acrylic , gouache, ink.

I then applied Rotring opaque black latex ink for film with a brush to define the background and in the cast shadow of the foreground leg and paw

The last step wash to add another subtle diluted wash of ink to the foreground underneath the cat for definition. This was added right onto the positive.

I combined all of the acetates and made one positive. This was exposed in my homemade UV exposure box using a double exposure method of 3 min. for aquatint screen and 3 min. for the positive. It was developed in lukewarm water with a gentle scrubbing of a soft toothbrush, then post exposed another 10 minutes.