How do I make etchings like pic related? Where do I get plates+acid+hardground and what tools should I use to get variance in line? Any good books on this? Most of what I find on google is 'lol i went to art school and don't know how to control my medium, every print is a surprise!'. Obviously it's hard as fuck, but good prints are prolific enough that I'm sure the method has been more-or-less perfected and recorded somewhere.
detail pic in next post.
hi-res version.
The other question I have is how the gradation dot pattern is achieved. For example, look at the cheek. It looks like the white areas are where hardground was scraped away to create the black dot pattern. However this is the opposite to what i've seen where you scrape away the area that you want inked, not vice versa.
I did etching in school once, it was a tedious process of scraping with a needle. If I wanted to do it now I would draw digitally, convert to Gerber format and outsource to a PCB manufacturer. Any good one can do 0.1mm or smaller details so you should have no problem with hatching etc. Obviously specify no solder mask and ENIG coating (HASL isn't flat enough).
>>2474185
That's a pretty novel idea actually, thanks. I suspect it'll be out of my price range though.
I'm very interested in how it was done traditionally. I'm no stanger to tedious stuff (I've done a few 30 hr cast drawings in my time). I'm pretty sure this is the same method used for USD portraits, but I can only find info on the paintings the etchings are based on, not the actual etchings.
>>2474194
Doing it more traditionally, I'd buy some bare copper clad board (reasonably cheap, and you only need single sided) and some candle wax. Melt the candle wax, dip the board in it, get it hot enough that most of the wax runs off. Then heat it in an oven while it's lying flat so the wax smooths out perfectly. Then scrape with a needle, and etch with ferric chloride (also cheap). Do some small test etches first so you can figure out the timing and avoid undercut.
>>2474200
And of course the board has to be very clean before it goes into the wax or you risk it not sticking properly. And you can probably get better etch resist than candle wax, I don't know where.
There are some tools used for this type of etching to get the really even spacing, but hold off until you can stomach the sheer tedium. Its tough work.
>>2474216
Mind pointing out the tools? I'm not one to make impulse buys. I assumed the even lines were just crazy muscle control.
>>2474216
If you look at the front of the neck, I wonder how the artist so smoothly increases/decreases the line weight.
http://catholic-resources.org/Art/Dore-OT.htm
http://catholic-resources.org/Art/Dore-NT.htm
God among men.
