What is a hand colored copperplate etching?
In my opinion, this is the longest and most labor intensive art reproduction method. There are two major components to the process. The first step is the copperplate etching. A line drawing is created then transferred to a specially prepared copperplate. This is a slow and totally hands on process. Next, the plate is immersed in an acid bath which etches lines into the copper. The rest of the plate is protected from the acid by a special coating. The plate is removed from the acid, rinsed, and inked by hand. The excess ink is removed from the plate. It is polished and carried to the press. The plate is laid, face up, on the press and a single sheet of dampened etching paper is carefully placed on top. It is pulled through the rollers of the press under extreme pressure, forcing the fibers of the paper into the plate, the paper is gently removed and set aside to dry. This completes step 1. After drying, usually 24 hours, I begin step 2, the painting process. Because I print with an oil
