Preparing

The initial drawings have been made; Marie-Louise has envisaged the print that will come out of it. Now it is time to start the process of making a print. This begins with the preparation of the plate. Marie-Louise uses mild steel for her plates and these are etched in a bath of nitric acid.

The acid would eat the plate given enough time, so the parts that are to remain un-etched are covered with the resist, or ground. Once dry, this ground can be scratched off to reveal fresh metal. It is this exposed metal that will be etched in the acid. Successive exposures of different parts of the plate to the acid builds the image.