I had heard of the printing process called "sugar lift". A "lift" as a ground enables you to make positive marks onto the plate which, when placed in the acid becomes the bitten part of the image. I had been told that it creates a "painterly" effect as the sugar lift solution is painted directly onto the plate. The plate is first de-greased and then laid with a ground.The sugar lift is a saturated sugar solution which contains some soap and a little paint or drawing ink to give it colour so that you can see the image you are creating on the plate. Sugar lift can be bought ready made from print-making suppliers or you can make your own.
I decided to begin with an easy topic as I was experimenting with something completely new. I also wanted to choose the material for a plate which resonated with the subject matter, so that the concept linked with the method I was using. I thought about my ideas on "things left behind" and some of the objects I had seen at South Ferriby - for instance, the links with sailing and days gone by. I had in mind an old metal post that I had seen set on the river bank at the edge of undergrowth and a wooded area. I chose that as the subject matter and found a small piece of steel to work on. The steel married up with the concept of the old metal post.
The Process
These are the stages that I went through to create my sugar lift image:
After painting the image onto the prepared plate with the sugar lift solution, I immersed the plate in warm water.
I gently washed the warm water over the surface of the plate with a brush to help "lift" the sugar solution.
The image began to emerge.
I took the plate out of the water and dried it. The image which I created with the sugar lift solution can be seen.
I then painted on a "stop out" to create lighter areas and put the plate into nitric acid to etch.
The finished print.
Outcome
I think that the finished plate does have a very "painterly" look. There is a soft defined edge to the lines, with good tonal and highlighted areas. The print has a lot of character and it suited the subject matter of an ancient rusty post in a semi-wild setting, giving a mood of abandonment and mystery.
Future Use
I will try this method again to achieve soft, moody images with lots of character. It will suit that part of my practice which deals with a sense of days gone by, and other more fluid interpretations of both natural and hard landscapes. As I have only done this process once, I feel that I need a few more practices to really get to grips with the process and its potential. I consider that my practice lends itself to this process, both in the subject matter of my interests and the sort of image I like to create. It was appropriate to work on steel, seeing that the post was made of metal, and I think that aspect added to the success of the outcome. In this way, it links up with my research and Mandy Payne's use of concrete.
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