Ex Libris. The Making Of. Presented By:

Ex Libris The Making Of Presented By: Ex Libris: The Making Of A Step By Step Guide to Easily Understand the Process by Arthentik with the artist P...
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Ex Libris The Making Of

Presented By:

Ex Libris: The Making Of A Step By Step Guide to Easily Understand the Process by Arthentik with the artist Po Shin Lau This eBook is dedicated to everyone who is in love with authentic art. In every art, there is a story. Awaiting you to discover.

The information in Ex Libris: The Making Of is a step by step guide that contains tips and tricks that are recommendations by Arthentik and/or artists, and reading this guide does not guarantee that one’s results will exactly mirror Arthentik's or the artists'. Arthentik and the artists concerned, have made all reasonable efforts to provide current and accurate information for the readers of this guide. Arthentik will not be held liable for any unintentional errors or omissions that may be found. The material in Ex Libris: The Making Of may include information, products, or services by third parties. Third Party materials comprise of the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, I, the author of this guide, do not assume responsibility or liability for any Third Party Material or opinions. The publication of such Third Party materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or service contained within the Third Party Material. Use of recommended Third Party Material does not guarantee that your results, with Ex Libris: The Making Of will mirror our own. Publication of such Third Party Material is simply a recommendation and expression of my own opinion of that material. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted or resold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in Ex Libris: The Making Of are the property of their respective owners. The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only. Please understand that there are some links contained in this guide that I may benefit from financially. Users of this guide are advised to do their own due diligence when it comes to making decisions. By reading this guide, you agree that Arthentik is not responsible for the success or failure of your decisions relating to any information presented in this document.

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

Table of Contents Ex Libris: The Making Of -------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4

Discovery - Ex Libris by Po Shin Lau --------------------------------------------- 5 Exclusive Collection of 2013 - The Fish --------------------------------------------- 13

Part 1 - Design and Aquatint Technique --------------------------------------- 16 1.1 - Draw a Sketch of the Ex Libris -------------------------------------------------- 16 1.2 Copy the Drawing on a Tracing Paper ------------------------------------------ 16 1.3 Trace the Lines with a Pencil Darker than the HB Grade ------------------ 17 1.4 Fold the Tracing Paper to Fit the Copper Plate ------------------------------- 17 1.5 Use the Aquatint Technique to Create a Tonal Effect----------------------- 18

Part 2 - Etching of the First Layer ------------------------------------------------ 20 2.1 Trace the Design on the Copper Plate ------------------------------------------ 20 2.2 Detail the Plan of the Etching Process ------------------------------------------ 20 2.3 Protect the White Area where Etching is not needed with Varnish ------ 21 2.4 Plan the Etching Steps by Defining the Different Colors Areas ---------- 22 2.5 Trace the Major Lines on the Copper Plate ------------------------------------ 22 2.6 Put Varnish on the White Area of the Design where Etching is not Needed --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 2.7 Put Varnish on the Back and the Edge of the Copper Plate -------------- 23 2.8 Prepare the Acid Solution ---------------------------------------------------------- 24 2.9 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid ------------------------------------------------- 24 2.10 Put the Copper Plate in Water and Dry it ------------------------------------- 25 2.11 Inspect the Etching Result -------------------------------------------------------- 25

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Part 3 - Etching of the Second and Third Layer ----------------------------- 26 3.1 Trace the Lines of the Second Layer on the Copper Plate ---------------- 26 3.2 Put Varnish to Protect the Yellow Area from Etching ----------------------- 26 3.3 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid, Wash with Water and Dry it ----------- 27 3.4 Trace the Lines of the Third Layer ----------------------------------------------- 27 3.5 Put Varnish to Protect the Green Area from Etching ------------------------ 28 3.6 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid, Wash with Water and Dry it ----------- 28 3.7 Inspect the Etching Result --------------------------------------------------------- 29 3.8 Put Away the Acid Solution -------------------------------------------------------- 29 3.9 Wipe Away the Varnish with the Resin Solution ------------------------------ 29 3.10 Result of the Etching Process --------------------------------------------------- 30

Part 4 - Print the First Layer: Yellow Ink --------------------------------------- 31 4.1 Mix the Yellow Etching Ink --------------------------------------------------------- 31 4.2 Put an Etching Paper in the Water ----------------------------------------------- 32 4.3 Dab the Yellow Ink on the Copper Plate---------------------------------------- 32 4.4 Wipe the Yellow Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate ------------------- 33 4.5 Print the First Layer with the Press-Printing Machine ----------------------- 33

Part 5 - Print the Second Layer: Blue Ink -------------------------------------- 36 5.1 Clean the Copper Plate with the Resin Solution------------------------------ 36 5.2 Carve and Polish the Copper Plate for the Second Layer Printing ------ 36 5.3 Mix the Blue Etching Ink ------------------------------------------------------------ 37 5.4 Put the Paper with the First Layer in the Water------------------------------- 38 5.5 Dab the Blue Ink on the Copper Plate ------------------------------------------ 38 5.6 Wipe the Blue Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate --------------------- 39 5.7 Print the Second Layer with the Press-Printing Machine ------------------ 39

Part 6 - Print the Third Layer: Black Ink ---------------------------------------- 40 6.1 Polish the Copper Plate for the Third Layer Printing ------------------------ 40 6.2 Put the Paper with the Second Layer in the Water -------------------------- 41 6.3 Mix the Black Etching Ink and Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate - 41 6.4 Wipe the Black Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate -------------------- 41 6.5 Print the Third Layer with the Press-Printing Machine ---------------------- 42 © 2013 Arthentik Art Gallery. All Rights Reserved.

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Part 7 - Etching of the Final Lines and Words ------------------------------- 44 7.1 Clean the Copper Plate with the Resin Solution------------------------------ 44 7.2 Put Varnish on the Copper Plate ------------------------------------------------- 44 7.3 Heat the Copper Plate -------------------------------------------------------------- 46 7.4 Draw the Lines that need to be Etched on the Tracing Paper ------------ 47 7.5 Trace the Lines on the Copper Plate -------------------------------------------- 47 7.6 Carve the Lines on the Copper Plate -------------------------------------------- 48 7.7 Put Varnish to Protect the Edges and the Back of the Copper Plate from the Acid -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 7.8 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid Solution -------------------------------------- 49 7.9 Put the Copper Plate in the Water and Dry it---------------------------------- 50 7.10 Put the Etching Paper with the Third Layer in the Water ----------------- 50 7.11 Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate and Wipe Away the Excess Ink ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 7.12 Put Yellow Ink on the Copper Plate for the Eye and Mouth of the Fish ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 7.13 Print the Final Lines and Words with the Press-Printing Machine ----- 52 7.14 Inspect the Final Prints ------------------------------------------------------------ 53 7.15 Apply Numbers of Print and Signature on the Final Prints --------------- 54

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

Ex Libris: The Making Of Introduction Ex Libris, also known as Bookplate is a Latin phrase that means “from the books”. It is a small print that is placed into a book, usually on the inside of the front cover, to indicate its owner. Ex Libris are unique and designed especially for a particular person. The earliest known printed Ex Libris is from German, during the 15th century. The best known is a small hand-coloured woodcut representing a shield of arms supported by an angel. It was pasted into books presented to the Carthusian monastery of Buxheim by Brother Hildebrand Brandenburg of Biberach,during the year 1480.

Picture taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookplate

Ex Libris can be created with different engraving techniques. In the following step by step guide for the creation of an Ex-Libris, we will mainly present the technique of Etching to you. The following pictures are presented by Arthentik with the engraver and painter: Po Shin Lau. Discover the art of Ex Libris and Etching with this exclusive detailed guide.

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Discovery - Ex Libris by Po Shin Lau

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

Exclusive Collection of 2013 - The Fish

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

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Part 1 - Design and Aquatint Technique 1.1 - Draw a Sketch of the Ex Libris Draw a sketch of the Ex Libris considering the dimension of the copper plate that will be used for the printing process.

1.1 - Sketch of Ex Libris

: For a good result, we usually pass the paper under the press-printing machine for a maximum of around 3 to 4 times. For this, you should not use too much colors and limit it to around 3 different colors.

1.2 Copy the Drawing on a Tracing Paper Leave some extra space around the drawing on the tracing paper for it to be folded to go around the copper plate. Copy the drawing on a tracing paper with a HB pencil.

1.2 - Tracing Paper

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1.3 Trace the Lines with a Pencil Darker than the HB Grade Go over the lines of the drawing on the tracing paper with a pencil of a grade higher than HB.The tracing paper will be used to trace the design on the copper plate.

1.3.1 - Tracing lines with B pencil

: Use a pencil with a grade of HB or higher so we can see the lines on the copper plate when we copy the design using the tracing paper. We used a pencil with B grade.

1.3.2 - B Pencil

1.4 Fold the Tracing Paper to Fit the Copper Plate

1.4.1 - Fold the tracing paper © 2013 Arthentik Art Gallery. All Rights Reserved.

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1.5 Use the Aquatint Technique to Create a Tonal Effect Unlike the Engraving Technique where a needle is used to create lines, the Aquatint Technique uses powdered rosin, an acid resistant material, that is heated to create a tonal effect. Without an Aquatint box, the powdered rosin can be applied manually by hand.

1.5.1 - Custom Aquatint Box

1.5.2 - Plate Holder

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1.5.3 Rosin Holder

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Step 1: Place powdered rosin in the Aquatint Box. Step 2: Pump air in the Aquatint Box to create a dust of rosin floating inside the box. Step 3: Put the copper plate in the Aquatint Box. Step 4: Wait for around 5 minutes, the time that the Rosin lays on the copper plate. Step 5: Take the copper plate out of the Aquatint Box. Step 6: Inspect if the rosin is evenly laid on the copper plate. Step 7: Heat the copper plate. Step 8: When you see that the rosin has melted, becoming darker, turn off the heat. Step 9: Inspect the copper plate and the melted rosin.

1.5.4 - Copper Plate

1.5.6 - Plate Holder for Heater

1.5.5 - Copper Plate with Rosin

1.5.7 - Heater

: Use a heat grid to evenly distribute the heat over the copper plate during the heating process.

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Part 2 - Etching of the First Layer 2.1 Trace the Design on the Copper Plate

2.1.1 - Copy the design on the copper plate

2.1.2 - Design on the copper plate

Step 1: Fold the tracing Paper with the design on the reverse side around the copper plate. Step 2: Use a pencil to draw the lines on the tracing paper to copy them on the copper plate. Step 3: Unfold the tracing paper Step 4: Inspect the copied lines

2.2 Detail the Plan of the Etching Process Step 1: Define the white area where etching is not needed Step 2: Determine the number of prints needed depending on the colors and lines

2.2.1 - Plan of the Etching Process

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The printing order is based on the tone of the colors. We print the lighter colors first and the darker colors last. First Print Second Print Third Print Fourth Print

Layer 1: Yellow Layer 2: Green Layer 3: Black Black Lines and Words

2.3 Protect the White Area where Etching is not needed with Varnish

2.3.1 - Lamour's Black Satin Varnish for Etching

2.3.2 - Apply Varnish on the Copper Plate

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2.3.3 - Cooper plate with varnish (Layer 1)

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2.4 Plan the Etching Steps by Defining the Different Colors Areas For each print, etching is needed to create the lines of colors. The lines of the first layer of color are lighter whereas the lines of the last layer are more profound. For darker colors, in order for the plate to retain more ink during the printing process, we leave the copper plate in the acid solution longer. The etched area will then be deeper.

Taking into account the above criteria, the etching time is as follow: Print Yellow Blue*

Etching time 2 minutes 3 minutes

Black

5 minutes

Lines and Words

5 minutes

Etching time (Total) 2 minutes 5 minutes (2+3) 10 minutes (2+3+5) 5 minutes

* The color blue mixed with the previous printed color yellow will result in the color green.

2.5 Trace the Major Lines on the Copper Plate To define the different colors areas, paying attention to the first layer, the yellow area, trace the major lines on the copper plate.

2.5.1 - Trace Major Lines

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2.6 Put Varnish on the White Area of the Design where Etching is not Needed Define areas in the design where etching is not needed and cover them with varnish.

2.6.1 - Copper Plate with Varnish for the First Etching

2.7 Put Varnish on the Back and the Edge of the Copper Plate To protect the back and the edges of the copper plate from the acid during the etching process, these areas have to be protected with varnish.

2.7.1 - Back of Copper Plate with Varnish

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2.8 Prepare the Acid Solution A concentration of ¼ Acid Nitric is added to ¾ of Water.

2.8.1 - Nitric Acid for Etching

2.9 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid To etch the lines and area for the yellow layer, the copper plate is placed in the acid for 2 minutes.

2.9.1 - Etching of the First Layer

During the etching process, bubbles are formed on the area exposed to acid.

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2.10 Put the Copper Plate in Water and Dry it

2.10.1 - Put the Copper Plate in Water to Wash Away the Acid

2.11 Inspect the Etching Result Inspect with a microscope to see if the etched area are profound enough.

2.11.1 - Microscope

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Part 3 - Etching of the Second and Third Layer 3.1 Trace the Lines of the Second Layer on the Copper Plate Trace the lines for the second layer, the green area, on the copper plate with the tracing paper.

3.1.1 - Trace Second Layer Lines

3.2 Put Varnish to Protect the Yellow Area from Etching To etch the second layer for the green area, the yellow area has to be protected with varnish.

3.2.1 - Varnish for the Second Layer

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3.3 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid, Wash with Water and Dry it To etch the lines and area for the green layer, the copper plate is placed in the acid for 3 minutes. (With the etching of the first layer that lasted 2 minutes, it will be a total of 5 minutes of etching for the second layer.)

3.3.1 - Etching of the Second Layer

After the etching process, put the copper plate in water to wash away the acid and dry the copper plate.

3.4 Trace the Lines of the Third Layer Trace the lines for the third layer, the black area, on the copper plate with the tracing paper.

3.4.1 - Trace Third Layer Lines

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

3.5 Put Varnish to Protect the Green Area from Etching To etch the third layer for the black area, the green area has to be protected with varnish.

3.5.1 - Trace Third Layer Lines

3.6 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid, Wash with Water and Dry it To etch the lines and area for the black layer, the copper plate is placed in the acid for 5 minutes. (With the etching of the first layer that lasted 2 minutes and the etching of the second layer that lasted 3 minutes it will be a total of 10 minutes of etching for the third layer.) 3.6.1 - Etching of the Third Layer

After the etching process, put the copper plate in water to wash away the acid and dry the copper plate.

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3.7 Inspect the Etching Result Inspect with a microscope to see if the etched area is profound enough. If the etched area is not profound enough, put the copper plate back into the acid.

3.8 Put Away the Acid Solution Acid solution is very dangerous. When not needed, put the acid solution back in a container.

3.8.1 - Put Away Acid Solution

3.9 Wipe Away the Varnish with the Resin Solution Use a towel dipped into resin solution to wipe away the varnish on the copper plate.

3.9.1 - Wipe the Varnish

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3.10 Result of the Etching Process Here is the result after the etching of the first, second and third layer.

3.10.1 - Result of the Etching Process

The copper plate is ready for the printing process.

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Part 4 - Print the First Layer: Yellow Ink 4.1 Mix the Yellow Etching Ink To obtain the desired color, it is possible to mix different ink.

4.1.1 - Yellow Etching Ink

4.1.2 - Mix of Yellow Etching Ink

: For our yellow color, we've mixed yellow etching ink and orange oil paint. This mixture will provide a less thick ink which will be easier to apply and wipe away.

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4.2 Put an Etching Paper in the Water Paper suitable for etching requires several characteristics mainly due to the fact that the paper needs to be submerged in water and has to be passed through the press many times under strong pressure. The main characteristics of an etching paper are:  Versatile  Absorbent  Durable  Sizable  Acid Free  Light-fastness

4.2.1 - Etching Paper in Water

4.3 Dab the Yellow Ink on the Copper Plate Use a cloth to dab the yellow ink on the copper plate.

4.3.1 - Dab the Yellow Ink on the Copper Plate

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4.4 Wipe the Yellow Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate Use papers to wipe away the exceeding yellow ink on the surface of the copper plate to only keep the needed amount of ink for the printing.

4.4.1 - Wipe the Yellow Ink

4.4.2 - Copper Plate with Yellow Ink

: You can use Yellow Pages as the wiping papers. However, avoid any papers that have strong colors because it may be mixed with the printing ink.

4.5 Print the First Layer with the Press-Printing Machine To align the copper plate on the press-printing machine, it is possible to use a paper mark with the dimension of the copper plate to ensure that the copper plate is placed properly.

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4.5.1 - Press-Printing Machine Surface with a Paper Mark

4.5.2 - Press-Printing Machine

Step 1: Put the copper plate on the press-printing machine on a paper mark. Step 2: Take the etching paper out of the water bowl and wipe the exceeding water with a sponge. Step 3: Put the etching paper on the copper plate. Step 4: Cover the etching paper and copper plate with several layers of cloth. Step 5: Activate the press-printing machine to roll over the etching paper twice against the copper plate. Step 6: Take away the layers of cloth. Step 7: Pick up the etching paper. Step 8: Place it on a table for it to dry naturally.

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: Roll over the etching paper and copper plate twice for a better result. : Between prints, a resin solution can be used to clean the copper plate to allow a more even printing color.

4.5.3 - Copper Plate Aligned on Press-Printing Machine

4.5.4 - Yellow Print

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Part 5 - Print the Second Layer: Blue Ink The first layer is printed with yellow ink. To obtain a green color, the second layer will be printed with blue ink. (yellow + blue = green).

5.1 Clean the Copper Plate with the Resin Solution Clean away the previous printing color from the copper plate with resin solution.

5.1.1 - Clean the Copper Plate with a Resin Solution

5.2 Carve and Polish the Copper Plate for the Second Layer Printing To enhance the lines in order to provide more details during the printing process, sand paper and engraving cutter are used to polish and carve the copper plate.

5.2.1 - Polish the Copper Plate with Sand Paper

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5.2.2 - Carve the Copper Plate with an Engraving Cutter

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5.2.3 - Copper Plate after Polishing and Carving

5.3 Mix the Blue Etching Ink To obtain the desired color, it is possible to mix different ink. To reduce the thickness of the ink, stand oil can be added to the ink mixture.

5.3.1 - Blue and Green Etching Ink

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5.3.2 - Stand Oil

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5.4 Put the Paper with the First Layer in the Water

5.4.1 - Etching Paper with First Layer in Water

5.5 Dab the Blue Ink on the Copper Plate Use a cloth to dab the blue ink on the copper plate.

5.5.1 - Dab the Blue Ink on the Copper Plate

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5.6 Wipe the Blue Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate Use papers to wipe away the exceeding blue ink on the surface of the copper plate to only keep the needed amount of ink for the printing.

5.6.1 - Wipe the Blue Ink

5.7 Print the Second Layer with the Press-Printing Machine Step 1: Take the etching paper printed with the first layer out of the water bowl and wipe the exceeding water with a sponge. Step 2: Put the etching paper on the copper plate. Step 3: Put the etching paper and the copper plate on the press-printing machine. Step 4: Cover the etching paper and copper plate with several layers of cloth. Step 5: Activate the press-printing machine to roll over the etching paper twice against the copper plate. Step 6: Take away the layers of cloth. Step 7: Pick up the etching paper. Step 8: Place it on a table for it to dry naturally.

5.7.1 - Blue Print

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Part 6 - Print the Third Layer: Black Ink 6.1 Polish the Copper Plate for the Third Layer Printing The lines of the second layer printing are not needed for the third layer printing. To take away the carved lines created during the second layer printing, we will polish the copper plate with wadding polish.

6.1.1 - Wadding Polish

6.1.2 -Polish the Copper Plate with Wadding Polish

After the polishing, clean the copper plate with the resin solution.

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6.2 Put the Paper with the Second Layer in the Water Put the paper with the second layer in the water to prepare for the third printing process.

6.3 Mix the Black Etching Ink and Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate Use a cloth to dab the black ink on the copper plate.

6.3.1 -Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate

6.4 Wipe the Black Ink on the Surface of the Copper Plate Use papers to wipe away the exceeding black ink on the surface of the copper plate to only keep the needed amount of ink for the printing.

6.4.1 -Wipe the Black Ink

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6.5 Print the Third Layer with the Press-Printing Machine Step 1: Take the etching paper printed with the second layer out of the water bowl and wipe the exceeding water with a sponge. Step 2: Put the etching paper on the copper plate. Step 3: Put the etching paper and the copper plate on the press-printing machine. Step 4: Cover the etching paper and copper plate with several layers of cloth. Step 5: Activate the press-printing machine to roll over the etching paper twice against the copper plate. Step 6: Take away the layers of cloth. Step 7: Pick up the etching paper. Step 8: Place it on a table for it to dry naturally.

6.5.1 - Wipe the Exceeding Water with a Sponge

6.5.3 - Cover the Etching Paper and Copper Plate with Cloth

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6.5.2 - Etching Paper on Copper Plate

6.5.4 - Activate the Press-Printing Machine

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6.5.5 - Black Print

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Part 7 - Etching of the Final Lines and Words 7.1 Clean the Copper Plate with the Resin Solution To prepare the copper plate for the etching of the final major lines and words, the copper plate needs to be cleaned with the resin solution.

7.1.1 - Clean the Copper Plate with Resin

7.2 Put Varnish on the Copper Plate To prepare the copper plate for the etching process, the copper plate has to be protected with Varnish. Unlike the etching of the layers of colors, the etching of the final lines and words need to be carved with an engraving cutter. To do so, a satin varnish is used instead.

7.2.1 - Lamour's Black Satin Varnish for Etching

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7.2.2 - Put Satin Varnish on the Copper Plate

7.2.3 - Wash Brush with Resin Solution

: To clean the brush easier, put it in the resin solution right after usage.

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7.3 Heat the Copper Plate Before being used, satin varnish needs to be heated.

7.3.1 - Heat the Copper Plate with the Satin Varnish

7.3.2 - Copper Plate with Heated Satin Varnish

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7.4 Draw the Lines that need to be Etched on the Tracing Paper

7.4.1 - Trace Lines and Words on the Tracing Paper

7.5 Trace the Lines on the Copper Plate

7.5.1 - Trace Lines and Words on the Copper Plate

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7.6 Carve the Lines on the Copper Plate Carve the lines and words on the copper plate with an engraving cutter.

7.6.1 - Engraving Cutter

7.6.2 - Copper Plate Carved with a Cutter

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7.7 Put Varnish to Protect the Edges and the Back of the Copper Plate from the Acid Put varnish to protect the edges and back of the copper plate or any imperfections during the carving process from the acid.

7.7.1 - Put Varnish to Protect the Copper Plate

7.8 Put the Copper Plate in the Acid Solution To etch the final lines and words, the copper plate is placed in the acid for 5 minutes.

7.8.1 - Put the Copper Plate in the Acid Solution

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

7.9 Put the Copper Plate in the Water and Dry it Put the copper plate in water to wash away the acid solution and dry it with a towel.

7.9.1 - Put the Copper Plate in the Water

For more profound lines, protect the other areas and repeat the etching process. When done, clean the copper plate with the resin solution to wipe away the varnish.

7.10 Put the Etching Paper with the Third Layer in the Water Put the etching paper printed with the third layer in the water to prepare it for the printing process.

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

7.11 Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate and Wipe Away the Excess Ink

7.11.1 - Dab the Black Ink on the Copper Plate

7.11.2 - Wipe Away the Black Ink

: Clean the edges of the copper plate with a towel dipped in the resin solution to protect the etching paper from the ink left on the edges by mistake during the printing process.

7.12 Put Yellow Ink on the Copper Plate for the Eye and Mouth of the Fish For any small details during the final prints (ex: color of the eye or mouth), the color can be added directly on the copper plate with a brush.

7.12.1 - Brush and Yellow Ink for Small Details

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

7.12.2 - Apply colors on the Copper Plate with a Brush

7.13 Print the Final Lines and Words with the Press-Printing Machine Step 1: Take the etching paper printed with the third layer out of the water bowl and wipe the exceeding water with a sponge. Step 2: Put the etching paper on the copper plate. Step 3: Put the etching paper and the copper plate on the press-printing machine. Step 4: Cover the etching paper and copper plate with several layers of cloth. Step 5: Activate the press-printing machine to roll over the etching paper once on the copper plate. Step 6: Take away the layers of cloth. Step 7: Pick up the etching paper. Step 8: Place it on a table for it to dry naturally.

: To print the final lines and words, it is better to only press the etching paper only once on the copper plate to avoid any misprints during the process.

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

7.13.1 - Final Print

7.14 Inspect the Final Prints Look over all the final prints and eliminated those that are not perfectly printed. Prints are eliminated for the following reasons:  Differences in Colors  Etching Paper Condition  Alignments

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Ex Libris: The Making Of - Arthentik

7.15 Apply Numbers of Print and Signature on the Final Prints We usually do not apply the number of prints on Ex Libris. However, it can be interesting for collectors to know the total of prints. Because of this, the number of prints can be applied on the back of the Ex Libris.

7.15.1 - Ex Libris: Francis

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This is the last page Thank You So Much! It was our pleasure to work on this project. We believe that authentic art is very precious and is worth all the admiration. However, the work and effort behind every artwork somehow, most of the time, remained unknown. Because of this, we believe that it is important to present the techniques and processes behind the creation of an art to you all. It will allow us to admire art in a unique way

A Story Behind Every artist has his or her own unique style that makes art so unpredictable and beautiful. This unique style is built from the story behind the artist. This is the reason why we believe that it is important to discover the story of an artist that uncovers the secrets of art.

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