RawBin Graphics
Dick Emrich (Robin Richard Emrich)
Distinctive Contemporary Prints
Fine Art
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El Conquistador |
Contents of this page Copyright © Robin Richard Emrich 1995-2008
Welcome to RawBin Graphics. This is the Home Page for the artwork of Robin Richard (Dick) Emrich. Learn about the etching process, review available works with detailed descriptions of the limited edition prints.
Email the artist at etchingsbyemrich@aol.com
Include the reference "ART WORK" in your subject line! (To pass
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Studio in North Reading, MA 01864
Last updated: 12/25/2006
Listing of Available Works: Above title is a thumbnail picture. Click on links for more pictures. Monochrome prints are available directly from the artist (click here for more information).
- Etchings
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Miscellaneous |
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- Engravings
E T C H I N G Etching is a form of Intaglio (Latin, to cut). The etchings
offered here are done using nitric acid on a metal plate. In this process a
zinc plate is prepared by cleansing and removing any impurities on the surface
of the plate. A ground (a waxy substance that acts as a resist) is applied to
the plate in liquid form and dries to a hard surface. A drawing is then made on
the plate by scratching away the ground using an etching needle, nail or other
sharp object. Once the line drawing is completed the plate is immersed in
nitric acid (5% nitric acid diluted with 5 parts water to 1 part acid) where
the line drawing is "etched" by the acid onto the surface of the
plate. After a suitable time (30 seconds to hours) the plate is withdrawn from
the acid and the ground is removed using a solvent. Once the plate has been
"burnt", printers ink is applied to it and worked into all the
recessed areas. The surface of the plate is then carefully wiped using an open
woven cloth called tarleton or other suitable membrane that can remove the ink,
but only from the surface (the palm of the hand works well, also). Wiping
techniques can be varied from print to print by adjusting the amount of ink
removed or retained on the plate's surface. An atmospheric wipe is one in which
ink is left on the surface to enhance the image or mood of the print. After the
plate has been wiped it is then printed using a french press at high pressure.
Paper that has been soaked in water to loosen the fiber is used and when run
through the press is impressed into the inked areas of the plate and pulls the
ink from the subsurface. Each print requires another application of ink
followed by the wiping. As can be seen by the artist's work, great variety of
moods can be culled from the same plate by varying the wiping technique and
paper utilized. Plates can be reworked by starting the entire process over
again and burning the plate a second or more times. Tonal variation can be
applied by using an aquatint process and more diluted acid bathes. Unwanted
lines can be removed by "working" the plate using a burnishing tool
in which the raised unetched surface of the plate is scraped down to the level
of the etched line, effectively erasing it.
PRESENTED WORKS The works presented by myself are mostly Artist's Proofs. These
are prints drawn early in the printing process or at specified points during a
"run" (a series of prints run and numbered in some appreciable
quantity) and are used to prove the effectiveness of the etch, the integrity of
the line drawing or quality/adherence to the desired outcome or standard in a
run. At the present time my work has not had any runs (but I am endeavoring to
number the A/P's) since the work is still experimental as I learn and develop
the process of etching and the wiping techniques involved. Some of my prints
are subsequently hand water colored by myself. All of the plates are prepared,
etched and printed or "pulled" by myself. As of the August 2000 I
have created approximately 30 different plates mostly of scenes from
List of interesting sites that
sponsor events where these works may be seen
Montserrat College of Art www.montserrat.edu
Absolute Arts 
--> www.absolutearts.com
Robin's
Work at Absolute Arts
Galleries and Permanent Displays
Charles River Community Sailing School, Storrow Drive, Boston
Edward Jones Investments, Lowell Road, North Reading, MA
Mingo Gallery, Cabot Street, Beverly, MA
Brooksby Farm, Felton Street, Peabody, MA