Nikki and I met at the studio for a fast test run. She got to try out her lesson plan, and I got to try the process. To my delight, vitreography was fast, non-toxic, and easy to learn! I don’t mean “easy” in the way that my first print was a masterpiece, but vitreography was far more beginner friendly for me than drypoint, woodcuts, and traditional etching. It was easier to see what I was doing, and since I was able to apply the etching paste with a soft brush, I felt more comfortable with the types of marks I was able to make.
The first test plate: the dremel tool
It was easy to make marks in my thick glass plate using a diamond tipped scribe, and a dremel tool. For the dremel, Nikki had me submerge the plate in water so I didn’t send glass dust into the air. I made a few random experimental marks with the dremel, just to see what stuff would like like.
[caption id=”attachment_13939″ align=”aligncenter” width=”600 Wet plate from water bath, after dremel marks
etching paste applied to some areas
After being so worried I wouldn’t wait long enough for the paste to etch the glass, turns out I waited too long. It only needed 2 minutes!
[caption id=”attachment_13944″ align=”aligncenter” width=”600 First etching print experiment, with cheap paper
The first print ended up being too dark, but I liked the stippled grey and felt confident I could make a better plate without much effort. I loved the brush strokes on the vase.
In early 1918 John Singer Sargent was commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee to document the war. Sargent originally thought he’d paint about the gallantry of soldiers, but after visiting the Western Front and seeing a field hospital full of soldiers who had been exposed to mustard gas, he changed his plans. The high society painter who …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7670″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Find a stone you can comfortably hold in your hand. Without looking at it, spend a few minutes exploring it with your hands. Close your eyes. Feel the weight of the stone, the shape and balance and texture of it. Get to know it as well as you …
In art school, our art history course included a section on German Expressionism, featuring some paintings by Ludwig Kirchner. They looked something like this: Ludwig Kirchner, “Street, Berlin” (1913) I remember not liking them at the time. Expressionism? Everyone’s squeezed in like bristling sardines! The darkness behind the colors, the acidic contrasts, the dampening black, …
In a quiet moment, take time to recall some memory that you find interesting or enjoyable. Perhaps this was a story told by your family, or some moment that formed an idea of yourself or someone around you. Maybe a photograph, smell or object will help bring back your recollection. As you sit, pull out …
Vitreography test prints
Nikki and I met at the studio for a fast test run. She got to try out her lesson plan, and I got to try the process. To my delight, vitreography was fast, non-toxic, and easy to learn! I don’t mean “easy” in the way that my first print was a masterpiece, but vitreography was far more beginner friendly for me than drypoint, woodcuts, and traditional etching. It was easier to see what I was doing, and since I was able to apply the etching paste with a soft brush, I felt more comfortable with the types of marks I was able to make.
The first test plate: the dremel tool
It was easy to make marks in my thick glass plate using a diamond tipped scribe, and a dremel tool. For the dremel, Nikki had me submerge the plate in water so I didn’t send glass dust into the air. I made a few random experimental marks with the dremel, just to see what stuff would like like.
[caption id=”attachment_13939″ align=”aligncenter” width=”600
Wet plate from water bath, after dremel marks
etching paste applied to some areas
After being so worried I wouldn’t wait long enough for the paste to etch the glass, turns out I waited too long. It only needed 2 minutes!
[caption id=”attachment_13944″ align=”aligncenter” width=”600
First etching print experiment, with cheap paper
The first print ended up being too dark, but I liked the stippled grey and felt confident I could make a better plate without much effort. I loved the brush strokes on the vase.
Etching ghost print, with tiny areas of drypoint
I’m going to like Vitreography. We start Tuesday!
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