P R I N T M A K I N G   by   J O H N    B Y R N E 

P R I N T I N G   P R O C E S S E S

 

Each image is individually crafted using traditional methods.

 

The zinc plate etching process is as follows.

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The printing plates are made by coating a zinc plate in bitumen, scraping the image through the bitumen coating and then putting the plate in an acid bath to etch the metal through the scratched drawing.

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Once the drawing has been etched into the zinc plate, the bitumen is removed. Ink is wiped across the plate surface and then all excess ink is removed. The plate is laid on the flat bed of the printing press with a damp piece of paper on top. This is passed through the press at high pressure. The paper is peeled off the plate and the image has transferred to the paper. This process has to be repeated for each print which is made.

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Tone can be added to the plate using aquatint, which is a process where the plate is coated with rosin dust, which is melted onto the plate using a hotplate. The plate is then bathed in acid to create the tonal areas. these areas are masked out progressively, to create a series of darkening tones. At the end of this process, the aquatint is removed from the plate and the the plate is inked up as above to create the printed image.