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Discover the expressive qualities of Sugar Lift Aquatint, an intaglio technique that combines the freedom of painting with the rich, tactile qualities of etching.
In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to create marks directly onto a metal plate using a sugar-lift solution. Once processed and etched, your brushstrokes become beautifully defined areas that hold ink and translate into expressive printed marks.
By combining sugar lift with aquatint, you can move beyond traditional etched lines and create rich tonal areas, textured surfaces and fluid, painterly imagery.
Sugar lift is a unique etching process that allows you to paint directly onto your plate.
Your drawing or brushwork is created using a sugar-based solution before the plate is coated with an etching ground. When the plate is placed in water, the sugar dissolves and lifts away the ground, exposing the areas of your painted marks. These exposed areas are then aquatinted and etched, creating recessed surfaces that hold ink when printed.
The result is a print with bold, direct and painterly marks — particularly suited to expressive drawing, loose brushwork and tonal imagery.
During the workshop, you will be guided through the complete Sugar Lift Aquatint process, including:
Preparing and degreasing the etching plate
Creating painterly marks with sugar lift
Applying and removing the etching ground
Understanding the aquatint process
Developing tonal areas and depth
Etching the plate
Inking and wiping an intaglio plate
Preparing paper for printing
Registering paper on the press
Printing your finished plate using an etching press
One of the most exciting aspects of sugar lift is seeing your original brushwork transformed through the etching process.
Loose lines, expressive strokes and gestural marks can become rich, solid areas of ink, while aquatint allows you to introduce tonal variation and atmospheric depth.
The process encourages experimentation and embraces some of the unexpected qualities of traditional intaglio printmaking.
This workshop is suitable for artists and printmakers who want to explore expressive intaglio techniques and expand their approach to etching.
Some previous experience with basic etching or intaglio printing is recommended, particularly if you are new to working with aquatint.
It is ideal for anyone interested in:
Painterly printmaking
Experimental etching
Tonal and atmospheric imagery
Brush-based mark making
Expanding an existing printmaking practice
By the end of the workshop, you will have created your own Sugar Lift Aquatint plate and printed artwork, while gaining a practical understanding of how to continue developing the technique in your own printmaking practice.
There will be different timing options offered for this course. There will be shorter durations and longer duration classes. Longer classes spanning across several weeks will allow you to not stress on completing a piece quickly and let you immerse yourself into developing the piece and working in a studio environment, allowing more time for you to plan your design. For shorter classes, it'll be useful if you want to learn the technique and complete a piece, if you have less available time.
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