Hawaii Art Etchings - Hawaii Nature Etchings - Hawaiian Artist Daniel Van Zyle

Hawaiian Etchings

t's been said that producing an etching is microscopic work. I believe that statement is true. Actually my etching process is a little like the song, "Pick A Little, Talk A Little," from The Music Man. "Scribe a little, etch a little." "Scribe a little, etch a little." The matrix is a metal plate, either copper or zinc. A thin film of asphaltum is applied to act as a resist to the acid. With a thin sharp scribe I lightly draw through the asphaltum exposing the plate underneath. Periodically I bathe the plate in acid (seconds count here), which etches the exposed line drawing into the metal, creating the printing matrix. Repeat this many times and add in some rich toning (called aquatint in the biz) and the end result is a close relative to my pencil drawings. Usually I print the edition in a single color,chosen as the base for hand coloring that follows. Now the plate is ready to go the printing press.