Carol Lambert Arts

The power, mystery, humor, oddity, and beauty of the world

Diary of a Stealth Sketcher

Surviving Trial and Error: Aquatint Step Bite

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“Aquatint” is a method for creating areas of even tone, similar to watercolor washes, on an etching.

In fact, early printers called it “aquatint” because its effects reminded them of watercolor. Artists as diverse as Goya , Picasso, David Hockney, and Chuck Close have done great things with aquatint.

It starts with a metal plate, powdered rosin, and an aquatint box.

This is rosin. It’s made by boiling pine stumps and distilling the resin. (Not by me! I leave that job to the experts.) Those lumps look like rocks, but rosin is very brittle. You can easily pound it into powder.

The finer your powder, the more delicate your etched tones will be, but pound it too fine and you won’t have much tone at all. It’s good to mix some coarse powder in with the fine stuff.

 

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Fast, Fun, Furious Portraits: The Gift of a Deadline

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I like a challenge.

Recently I have been getting together with some fellow painters to work on portraits. We paint for 3 hours, and the challenge is always to finish before the last bell rings. After holding a pose under lights, the model is surely done, but are we? These portraits are teaching me to focus.

 

I call this one “Spooky Light” (oil on linen panel, 11 x 14.)

The old flashlight-under-the-chin trick did weird things to the model’s features. I liked it! It gave me permission to go for maximum drama.

Our model returned for 2 more sessions, so we had 9 hours to finish this portrait. That gave me time to develop the flesh tones, shadows, and some facial details. However, for the next portraits I only had 3 hours each. I had to up my game.

 

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3 Big Changes This Year, and 4 New Etchings

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What are the 3 big changes for 2017?

First change, more etchings:

My new focus  for 2017 is printmaking, and that means more original etchings for you. Good news, because etchings are quite affordable.

Second change, more discounts:

I have learned in my life that original art provides hope and comfort in hard times. In recognition of our new global feelings of uncertainty, I have discounted most pieces on my website. If there is a work of mine that you have admired, check it out in my online galleries, There’s a good chance the price has come down.

Third change, fewer emails, more artwork:

Rather than sticking to a schedule, I will publish the blog only when there are several new works to show you, however long that takes. This gives me more time in the studio and gives you more work to enjoy in each post.

Now, on to the 4 new etchings.

 

The Green Man

Wait, you say, you have seen this before.

Yes, I blogged about this one last June. I described the etching and aquatint processes I used on the two plates. Since then it has waited patiently for my attention, while other pressing matters intervened.

This month, I altered the plates in various ways and decided on colors. Suddenly, the piece has new life, and at long last I am producing an edition.

I began work on this image during the height of Alaska’s summer forest fire season. It points to our dependence on, and neglect of, our fragile environment. It also suggests that we have protectors, both seen and unseen.

The Green Man is, for me, a mythic figure standing ready to work with us to protect life, when we are willing. You will find more details about The Green Man here.

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