Here I decided to use my rotary tool engraved steel panel as a printing plate. The piece is experimental; more of a sampler of textures than a finished art piece. But I am sufficiently amused by the results!

At 24 7/8″ by 30 3/8″, this panel/plate is far too big for my 18″ wide press bed, so I hand rubbed this first proof. Also I don’t have paper soaking trays, and my paper was spritzed and put in plastic, but not for long enough. The paper was much too dry, so I spritzed it during the inking in order to get something I could see (no release agent at hand).

I inked the plate “a la poupee”, unfortunately rather unevenly, using a tightly rolled & taped sock as my dauber. Then I wiped rather badly also… It was a case of “inking after drinking” a couple of glasses of wine with dinner!

So the proof print is light, uneven, and speckled! Oh well! At this point, I am not sure if I will work the plate a bit more to try for a decent print. I am not sure how much I will like the result, even with a good print.