Grade 8: Alumna Returns for Art Lesson
Megan Bee '86 returned to the art classroom this week to help teacher Cathy Naughton demonstrate a lesson in etching. As a ninth grader, Megan was one of the first art students at Graland to learn the complex technique of etching, and her resulting piece of art was inducted into the Permanent Art Collection that year.
Megan Bee '86 returned to the art classroom this week to help teacher Cathy Naughton demonstrate a lesson in etching. As a ninth grader, Megan was one of the first art students at Graland to learn the complex technique of etching, and her resulting piece of art was inducted into the Permanent Art Collection that year.
The multi-step process to create this ancient technique, also referred to as intaglio, dates back to the fifteenth century and has been used by artists like Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci and Andy Warhol.
1. Plan a drawing that employs line and texture to describe areas of light and dark.
2. Scratch the drawing onto a zinc plate that has been coated in a waxy etching ground.
3. Dip the plate in an acid bath to burn the lines into the surface.
4. Apply the ink and rub it into the etched surface. Wipe the excess ink away.
5. Lay a piece of paper over the plate and load it on a press.
6. Roll the plate and paper under high pressure to imprint the drawing.
The metal plates can be used over and over again to make multiple editions of the art. While the traditional colors of black and brown are used for some of the prints, students also enjoy experimenting with different colors of the oil-based ink.
Back
The multi-step process to create this ancient technique, also referred to as intaglio, dates back to the fifteenth century and has been used by artists like Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci and Andy Warhol.
1. Plan a drawing that employs line and texture to describe areas of light and dark.
2. Scratch the drawing onto a zinc plate that has been coated in a waxy etching ground.
3. Dip the plate in an acid bath to burn the lines into the surface.
4. Apply the ink and rub it into the etched surface. Wipe the excess ink away.
5. Lay a piece of paper over the plate and load it on a press.
6. Roll the plate and paper under high pressure to imprint the drawing.
The metal plates can be used over and over again to make multiple editions of the art. While the traditional colors of black and brown are used for some of the prints, students also enjoy experimenting with different colors of the oil-based ink.
“I like to submit etchings to the Scholastic Art Awards competition because it is very unusual for middle school students to get experience with this technique,” shares Ms. Naughton. In recent years, Graland etchings have won top awards in the annual competition.
Megan, who is now a film editor, admitted she was a bit rusty on the technique but she enjoyed seeing her plate after 30 or so years. "I remember sitting around a table engrossed for hours and just chatting as we worked," she says. Her art is now hanging in the development office as part of the Permanent Art Collection and serves as inspiration to her two children, Devon (7) and Dexter (2), as well as other current and future artists at Graland.
Megan, who is now a film editor, admitted she was a bit rusty on the technique but she enjoyed seeing her plate after 30 or so years. "I remember sitting around a table engrossed for hours and just chatting as we worked," she says. Her art is now hanging in the development office as part of the Permanent Art Collection and serves as inspiration to her two children, Devon (7) and Dexter (2), as well as other current and future artists at Graland.
“It was so nice to have Megan come full circle and be back in my classroom,” Ms. Naughton says. “I could see she still has the same passion that propelled her in the direction of her artistic career.”
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
