Push the boundaries of traditional copper plate etching with innovative techniques and creative experimentation. In this course, students will explore alternative approaches such as photo stencil transfers on etching plates, spray paint aquatints, sugar lift, wax crayon and lipstick resist etching, and acrylic soft ground etching. Using copper plates, you will learn to etch and print your images as print editions (multiples). Projects, collaboration, and experimentation are encouraged, along with the development of unconventional tools for mark making. Through demonstrations, you will gain hands-on experience in plate preparation, ground application, drawing, etching, inking, and printing on a press to create an edition.

This class welcomes beginners and offers intermediate students the chance to deepen their exploration of the medium. Throughout the course, historical and contemporary printmakers will be introduced to inspire and inform your work.

What you will learn:
1. Knowledge of the history and contemporary practice of etching
2. New non-toxic techniques including using photographic stencils, wax crayon, butter, and lipstick resist etching, acrylic soft ground etching
3. Unconventional and innovative tools for creating marks on a plate
4. Making editions, multiples, simple registration techniques, and further working knowledge about printmaking
5. How to collaborate in the print shop