Description

Saturday and Sunday March 26 & 27 | 2022 | 10.30 – 4.30 | 6 places only

£120 Full/Keyholder member  |£140 Ordinary Member | £160 Non-member

BIG Safe Etching at SPW offers the printmaker a safer alternative in etching with the same level of creative opportunities as traditional materials without exposure to hazardous chemicals. For the beginner, BIG provides an accessible process for spontaneous and diverse mark-making. For the experienced printmaker, BIG provides a medium for consistent, excellent results.

This is a comprehensive introduction to the etching process and will include hard ground, soft ground, aquatint techniques using BIG grounds.

Baldwin’s Ink Ground (BIG) a Safer Alternative Etching Ground

There are many alternatives to the traditional etching ground on the market, many of which advertise themselves as the safer alternative. This may be the case but from my experience this is often to the detriment of quality and practicality. This common problem has put many printmakers off from trying alternatives, preferring to stay with the reliable time honored system. Did you know that a traditional etching ground contains arsenic, lead, mercury to name but a few toxic elements which can not only be breathed in through your airways but also absorbed through your skin. With ‘Big’ I feel I have not only provided a non toxic alternative but also a ground which is far more versatile. Because the main constituent is an ink it allows the artist printmaker to experiment with many different effects on their etching plate. Techniques ranging from soft and hard ground, photo etching, marbling, relief etching, sandpaper aquatints and coffee lift are but a few which can be explored. Big has been used at the School of Art University of Aberystwyth since 2002 and has been adopted in many other private and educational print workshops around the world. Trefeglwys Printmakers provides courses covering all the techniques which can be achieved with ‘Big’. If you would like to know more about this exciting ground or would like to try some out you can contact me through my email or just give us a ring.