The photographs below show how I engrave copper plates.

A copper plate is not intrinsically valuable or precious. The plate is not a work of Art, but a means to an end -- a matrix, just a tool that I will use to print the engravings. The prints will be the final work of Art.

The photograph shows me working at the desk. I sit sideways to the desk while listening to Django Reinhardt, Fats Waller, or Benny Goodman.

As I look downward into the mirror surface of the plate, I see the bright image of the white reflector above me. The plate shines bright, straight up into my eye.

Dark lines begin to grow on the plate as I engrave into the copper. They are dark against the plate's bright surface. They are cut down into the plate with sharply-slanted edges. Light rays that enter engraved lines carom sideways, not upward toward my eye.

Pinned to the reflector are two rough sketch-notes. My idea evolves from these little scraps of paper. I never know where the ideas will lead me.

(Scroll down or click image)

The copper plate is lying flat on the table, but overhanging the table's edge.

The magnifying glass, shown here, is sometimes useful while cutting into a small plate. However, it's very inconvenient to squint through a lens, so I prefer not to use a lens unless it is necessary.

My right hand and elbow are resting on the table. My left arm is off the table with the left hand [not shown] grasping the edge of the copper plate, turning it in the direction of the line being cut.

The burin moves in one direction -- straight ahead. Curved lines are made by turning the plate. Trying to turn the burin instead of the plate usually results in a broken point.

The lines being cut here are parallel and straight. When the plate is printed, these parallel lines will show up as a dark gray area. A few temporary guidelines were drawn on the plate with a pencil.

[This view of the plate shows the area that printed the lower left corner of Journey.]

The camera is looking through a magnifying glass. It shows a detail from a small plate.

A few words about magnifiers --

For many years, I used no magnifiers. But, eyes tend to change over time, and eventually my eyes needed some assistance.

1. Scrapers, wrapped with tape to protect fingers

2. Steel burnisher and agate burnisher

3. Burins, square, bent

4. Roulettes with lines, dots, and irregular patterns. (Roulettes are occasionally useful, but not really necessary.)

... and I often make temporary marks on the plate with an etching needle [not shown].

When I began making my first engravings, it was difficult at first to get comfortable. I tried out a variety of different chairs before finding this one which turned out to be ideal for me.

(This chair's seat is 35.5 cm [14 inches] below the surface of the worktable.)

A leather engraver's pad is shown here. (I seldom use the pad, but it's helpful in some situations.)

Sometimes the pad comes in handy for working on a small plate. The rack that holds the pad may be pulled out from under the table -- like a drawer. Sometimes the rack holds a flat block of wood or a rolled-up printing felt as an extension of the table. Most of the time, however, the rack is just pushed out of the way under the table while most of the work is done along the edge of the table.

Download this short QuickTime movie to see how the leather engraver's pad allows a small plate to be turned while engraving curves or circles. The plate is mounted (with tape) onto a thin piece of hardboard.

Sharpening the burin looks simple, but it takes some practice to do it right. The point of the burin must be perfect. Slightly dull points break, then skip across the plate with disastrous results.

The point has to be perfect ....