Drypoint on acrylic plate with added hand coloring

Southern Ontario Farmland

drypoint with hand color

varied open edition

Brian Holden

copyright 2012

I have been producing a few new miniature size prints in preparation for another solo exhibition of my work this coming summer. This show will feature only small size printmaking from my studio that utilize various techniques in their creation.
The above study could actually be labelled mix media since watercolor painting was an additional process I used to add color to the image. The plate size is 7 x 12.5 cm (2.75 x 5 inches). I don't imagine I'll be able to print too many images from the plate as the plexiglass usually only yields a small number of good impressions before the line deteriorates.
As for the process I made a sketch on paper using a photo I had taken a couple years back when I visited this region as reference and laid a piece of clear non-glare plexiglass over top. Using my sketch as a guide I worked into the surface of the acrylic using a steel carbide needle and also a small diamond tip stylus.
Then oil based etching ink was wiped into the recessed lines and the plate was printed into soaked and blotted 250 gm rag paper. I taped the paper to a piece of thin hardboard with butchers tape and let it dry. Watercolor was then added.
The landscape is a view of farmland on a hillside that is part of a river valley in an area of Southern Ontario very close to where my father and mother reside. I also spent some time during my childhood in this region and used to fish and swim in this river as a lad.