Senior Thesis: Etching Process Book

As a tribute to the etching process, I bound prints made from two etching plates and annotated them using a transparent vellum film. The book illustrates how prints are made and developed by looking at etching techniques, tools, and the art of plate reading. I find the most important part of etching to be the development of the prints which is captured within each state printed. A state is a print made from an unfinished plate to check in on the progress of the piece. The handbound nature of the book also echoes the physicality of printmaking whilst highlighting another traditional art form through bookbinding. This book aims to display these typically hidden states and focuses on what they can teach the printmaker on the journey to the final piece, as well as highlighting these often forgotten traditional artistic mediums.