Lift Ground
Image shows a group portrait at the Canadian School for Non-toxic Printmaking, 1997
painted with Crisco lift, etched into copper using the Edinburgh Etch process
In traditional etching a method called sugar lift serves as a means by which images can be established on the plate as positive marks. The process involves a number of steps. Firstly, the artist paints an image onto the plate using a lift medium. Next, the image is covered with a uniform coating of mordant resist. Once this coating is dry, the lift marks can be removed, exposing the bare metal underneath. After applying aquatint dots the plate then etches as a positive image, where all painted marks print as a tone or a black.
The traditional sugar lift process works well in acrylic resist etching, with acrylic floor finish being used as the top coat instead of an oil-based varnish. However, the following Crisco Lift is much more straightforward and reliable, and yields by far the most detailed marks.
Using The Crisco Lift
The key ingredient of this process is vegetable shortening, a product normally used in baking. CRISCO is ideal and can be found in most supermarkets. Place about one inch of this ingredient inside a small glass jar, then place the jar inside a jug filled with hot water. You may also mix in some pigment powder to color the lift medium. Once the medium is liquid, use it to paint marks directly onto a degreased metal plate, as though you were using black ink on paper. A variety of brushes will broaden your mark making range, and even strokes made with a very fine-tipped brush will be faithfully recorded. The painted marks dry on contact with the plate; so no further drying is required.
Once the positive image has been painted the plate is evenly coated with FUTURE or KLEAR acrylic floor varnish. This is done in the same manner as the acrylic HARD GROUND technique. The plate is then allowed to dry without the application of heat. Once the acrylic varnish is dry take a soft cloth and simply wipe away the greasy Crisco marks. The original painting will be fully revealed in the form of the bare metal surface, which should now be gently degreased using a clean cloth and a mild detergent. After spray aquatinting, the plate can then be etched. An intaglio print taken from this plate will faithfully reveal all painted marks from the broadest to the most delicate detail.
Image shows a group portrait at the Canadian School for Non-toxic Printmaking, 1997painted with Crisco lift, etched into copper using the Edinburgh Etch process
Positive Marks: The Crisco Lift
The usually inverted quality of intaglio marks does not suit every pictorial idea. Sometimes, artists simply wish to paint onto the plate i.e. they want the mark they make on the plate to be the mark they get on the print.
The usually inverted quality of intaglio marks does not suit every pictorial idea. Sometimes, artists simply wish to paint onto the plate i.e. they want the mark they make on the plate to be the mark they get on the print.
In traditional etching a method called sugar lift serves as a means by which images can be established on the plate as positive marks. The process involves a number of steps. Firstly, the artist paints an image onto the plate using a lift medium. Next, the image is covered with a uniform coating of mordant resist. Once this coating is dry, the lift marks can be removed, exposing the bare metal underneath. After applying aquatint dots the plate then etches as a positive image, where all painted marks print as a tone or a black.
The traditional sugar lift process works well in acrylic resist etching, with acrylic floor finish being used as the top coat instead of an oil-based varnish. However, the following Crisco Lift is much more straightforward and reliable, and yields by far the most detailed marks.
Using The Crisco Lift
The key ingredient of this process is vegetable shortening, a product normally used in baking. CRISCO is ideal and can be found in most supermarkets. Place about one inch of this ingredient inside a small glass jar, then place the jar inside a jug filled with hot water. You may also mix in some pigment powder to color the lift medium. Once the medium is liquid, use it to paint marks directly onto a degreased metal plate, as though you were using black ink on paper. A variety of brushes will broaden your mark making range, and even strokes made with a very fine-tipped brush will be faithfully recorded. The painted marks dry on contact with the plate; so no further drying is required.
Once the positive image has been painted the plate is evenly coated with FUTURE or KLEAR acrylic floor varnish. This is done in the same manner as the acrylic HARD GROUND technique. The plate is then allowed to dry without the application of heat. Once the acrylic varnish is dry take a soft cloth and simply wipe away the greasy Crisco marks. The original painting will be fully revealed in the form of the bare metal surface, which should now be gently degreased using a clean cloth and a mild detergent. After spray aquatinting, the plate can then be etched. An intaglio print taken from this plate will faithfully reveal all painted marks from the broadest to the most delicate detail.
