Student Etching Resources

STUDENT RESOURCES

This page is full of information about the tools we used during our workshop and what I buy from where.

I buy most of my art supplies online, from several different sources depending on who is having a sale, and what I need in my order. I look for overall value in the pricing of the item, delivery cost and quality of service when ordering.

I don’t receive any commissions from these sales – and I encourage you to shop around for different pricing if that works for you. Different online stores offer sales and discounts at different times of the year, and there are other suppliers for most of the tools and materials I use.

I would love to hear from you if you do source from a different supplier – I am always on the lookout for other options to share with students, and for myself.

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The information below:

PAPER

The paper we printed onto was a mix of:

  • 200gsm acid free cartridge paper – for proofing
  • Magnani Pescia Printmaking Paper 300gsm

I buy paper from various sources, and below are some of them:

If you ever have any questions about paper, please let me know. Most online art stores hold annual paper sales. Melbourne Etching Supplies has a big paper sale 2x a year, with pricing up to 40% off. Most art stores will sell printmaking papers instore, where you can see the papers, the colours and textures.

And have a read of a blog post series wrote about printmaking paper:

PRINTING PRESSES

There are several different options for printing presses – and a huge range in price and quality.

This is who I bought my press from, but they now have a different model – www.parkersartsupplies.com/collections/printmaking-press

If you want to buy an etching presss, my recommendation is to buy one with as big a press bed as you can afford. The press bed being the base plate that you put your plate and paper on to roll through the press.

These are the presses that Melbourne Etching Supplies sell – https://www.mes.net.au/category/571-presses

The little Xcut Xpress is no longer being made, so is hard to get. You can pick them up second-hand if you look around.

The Xcut is essentially a ‘craft printer’ made for embossing and die-cutting. There are many others now on the market (ranging in price from $80-$300, some available in Australia, others from overseas). You will see a Facebook group link below dedicated to using this sort of press. Do some research to see what other people are using. Craft Online, an Australian craft supply shop, sell several different sorts – www.craftonline.com.au/pages/craft-machines

This is a Facebook group dedicated to printmakers using these craft presses. Check it out for suggestions on which machines are good options.

And then there are the 3D printed presses – Open Press Project is one of the overseas studios creating a revolution 3D printing mini printing presses. Priced at €82,66 – €135,41 it is one of the cutest presses I have ever seen! Do a google search for “3D intaglio printer” and see what other options come up. If you have access to your own 3D printer you can print your own!

INK

Etching ink is different to relief printing ink and different to paint.

This is the ink we used in our workshop – Charbonnel Aqua. I like this ink for its colour, average pricing, and water wash up.

Melbourne Etching Supplies is a good place to start to look at different inks options available, and from there you can do your own research if you want to try something different.

Pricing for inks will vary between online art stores, so do some shopping around to find the best price options.

ETCHING PLATES

You can buy aluminium etching plates from most quality art supply stores. If you only want a few plates to start with, that is the best way to buy them. But if you want to buy a larger number of plates cut to a specific size, then I recommend finding a plumbing trade supplier who can cut them for you.

You can buy plates online from a range of art stores.

  • ArtHouse Direct is one source
  • Melbourne Etching Supplies seem to be out of stock at the moment
  • The Art Shed Brisbane and Oxlades sell them too, both online and in store
  • But there may be a COVID-induced shortage at the moment as they all seem to be out of stock

I buy plates cut to size and in bulk from NCP Group in Maroochydore. Asking for them to cut up to 30-50 plates from aluminium sheeting 1.2mm + thick. If you buy plates thy way you must stipulate the size plates you want cut. I order 20-ish plates each for 2-3 different sizes. I try to make the order as easy as possible for the supplier to cut to size.

ETCHING TOOLS & TARLATAN

The one-stop-shop for all things printmaking is Melbourne Etching Supplies. The normally have 2x big paper sales a year (June and November), but they may both be cancelled this year due to supply issues. I’ll list below the materials we used yesterday. I buy most but not all from MES. Shop around if you want to see if there are better pricing options:

Etching Needle – we used – mes.net.au/products/etching-needle-extra-strong-school-type
And there are all sorts available, different pricing and quality – mes.net.au/search?q=etching+needle
But you can also use anything with a point on the end of it!

We used Tarlatan to wipe excess ink off the plate, before wiping with the torn phone book pages. Tarlatan is great to use, the traditional material but can be expensive and hard to get. You can use a soft cloth. Experiment and see if you prefer to use one material over the other.

You can buy tarlatan from different sources. This is the link from Melbourne Etching Supplies – mes.net.au/search?q=tarlatan

I encourage you to look at other intaglio printing printmakers online. Ever so often someone will share a process video showing how they ink their plates. There is a lot to learn from watching others – people will have their own approach and style and tips, including using alternative resources to help with inking and wiping back. Here are a few links to videos on Facebook:

ETCHING GROUNDS & RESISTS

If you want to buy liquid hard or ground, you can buy from The Art Shed Brisbane or Melbourne Etching Supplies. MES also stock acrylic resist grounds, which I’ve not used, so may worth further investigation. BIG ground is a new product and offers all sorts of interesting possibilities not able to be acheived with more traditional etching groups. if yo’re curious about that, check out Andrew Baldwin on YouTube where he demonstrates how to use this ground, and what it can do.

Liquid etching can not be send through the post. The Art Shed Brisbane can courier it for approx $20 (last time I asked).

You can also try Oxlades to ground. If the Sunshine Coast store doesn’t have it, they can probably get it in.

And don’t forget about all the non-traditional resist options you can work whit:

  • Posca and paint pens
  • Oil pastels and oil crayons
  • Chinagraph pencils
  • Litho pencils and litho crayons
  • Adhesive vinyl stencil
  • Sharpie pen
  • Acrylic paint and inks
  • Basically – anything that will resist dissolving in water, and easily clean off your plate with metho or turps.

Jackson’s Art Supplies in the UK are another good online source for buying ground. MANY options, many of which I’m not familiar with. One new ground on the market you can buy from Jackson’s is B.I.G. Etching Ground. I’ve not used it, but a student has. It offers options no other ground offers (ie image transfer). There is a lot of information online from the maker of the product, so check it out and see if its something youw ant to explore:

burr removerBURR REMOVER

Use a Bastard file to file the edges on your plate before etching. This will protect the paper and etching blankets.

And alternative to an etching file is a Butt Remover. Shop around online to get the best prices and specials. This is where I bought mine from:

Noga Deburr Handle Set from Trade Tools

PUBLIC ACCESS STUDIOS & PRINTMAKING GROUPS

Having your own printmaking press and studio at home is a wonderful luxury, and not everyone has the spaces or resources for that. The next best thing is joining a Printmaking Group … meet and hang out with link-minded printmaking enthusiasts and (in most cases) gain access to shared printmaking studio equipment. Below are a few groups and public access studios in South-East Queensland.

Printmaking Groups with studio access presses

Other Printmaking Groups and Organisations

SOCIAL MEDIA

This is the FB group all about the little craft printers. Started by Colin Blanchard using the XCut Xpress, it now encompasses any work (and questions) relating to using a ‘craft printer’ as a press – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1544918272204523

There are a lot of printmaking groups and pages on Facebook. I recommend joining them to get a feel for the possibilities around all things printmaking, and especially etching. Some good groups are:

OTHER ETCHING ARTISTS TO CHECK OUT

Artist: Jenny McCabe
Website: www.jennymccabe.co.uk
Location: UK

Artist: Bridget Farmer
Website: www.bridgefarmer.com
Location: Australia

Artist: Judith Rosenberg
Website: www.artoncairncross.com.au/judith-rosenberg.html
Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

Artist: Marina Terauds
Website: www.marinaterauds.com
Location: Latvian born, living in the USA

Artist: Tory Richards
Website: www.toryrichardsart.com/etchingsprints
Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

Artist: Nicky Carey
Website: nickycareyart.com
Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

Artist: Manitou Prints
Website: www.instagram.com/kuomingtsu
Location: USA

Artist: Kati Thamo
Website: www.katithamo.com.au
Location: Australia

Artist: Joseph Austin
Website: josephaustin.com.au
Location:Australia

Artist: Dennin Nona
Website: google search for his work
Location:Australia, Torres Strait Islander

Artist: Janet Ayliffe
Website: www.janetayliffe.com.au
Location: Australia

PRINTMAKING EXCHANGES

‘Print exchanges’ are a great way to build a collection of original printmaking work from known and unknown artists around the worlds. Some exchanges require experience, others don’t. But they all operate with a view to share the love of the art and craft printmaking. Below are some exchanges, but I encourage to you search for more. They can be found all over the world and seem to be gaining popularity.

They are also a fabulous opportunity to set yourself a goal to print and develop your own skills.

Do an online search for ‘printmaking print exchange’ and see what comes up in the searches.

Below are some of the exchange programs I have been involved with:

MORE RESOURCES

If you’re interested in finding out about editioning your prints you may find this blog article interesting and a good tarting point – Editioning Fine Art prints

LETS GO SHOPPING 🙂

Below are links to different online stores where I buy etching supplies and equipment form:

Jackon’s is a UK art supply store. While I strongly advocate for buying local and within Australia where possible, there is a very big price difference for some items at Jackson’s. Have a look at their site and see how the prices compare – but make your final decision when you see the final freight cost. Smaller items have very freight costs.

ORANGE CAKE RECIPE

This is the recipe I use for the cake I made for our workshop. I make a few variations – swapping oranges for lemons or mandarins, and sometimes adding dark chocolate pieces. YUM.

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