It's Been Too Long!!!!!

hi everyone(my lone reader sniffles)-it's been way too long since i wrote but that old problem life keeps getting in the way! but here i am cheerfully attempting to bridge the gap since i last wrote say 2 weeks ago. and what has been happening ? nothing much. just the old get up in the morning @5 a.m., shuffle off to work at my fake job(we all know that my real job is being an artist and writing this blog-which is why i don't want you to think that this is unimportant to me it really, really is -i love art and i love blogging, ) it's just that i've been trying to make art and exercise and cook healthy vegan dinners and iron clothes and take care of my husband and my kids and still get to bed before 10 because if i don't i'm a zombie and sometimes blogging takes me just a little too long because i want it to be good and heartfelt and interesting(even if it isn't- i do try hard.) i started taking my print making classes again on tuesday nights and the pictures that accompany this post shows you where i'm at on that front. i'm trying to make an etching based on my oldest sister's high school graduation picture. i have a long way to go and i don't know if i'll be successful but i thought i'd give it a go.well i may not be able to show you that as i'm typing this at fj(fake job) so i'lltry and do it tonight when i get home. etching is a very time consuming process -you don't just sit down and do an etching-there, are alot of really specific steps you have to follow from transferring an image oto a plate, covering it with something called hard ground, using a sharp stylus type instrument to trace the transferred image onto the plate through the soft ground, placing the plate into a vat of acid to bite the lines into the plate, cleaning the ground off the plate with mineral spirits and acetone, inking up the plate and wiping the excess ink off the plate in a 3 step process, soaking a sheet of paper in water and then blotting it dry with blotting paper and a rolling pin , placing your plate on the press ,placing the paper on top of the plate and finally running the plate and paper through the press to get your first glimpse of your handiwork a working print called a "state", and then figuring out what you have to do next with the plate, which usually means doing the whole process over two , three or a gazillion more times til you get what you want to achieve,or as close as you can to the prize. only after you've gone through multiple states is the plate ready to pull an actual print on good paper and only after you become good and consistent enough at inking and wiping the plate,are you ready to pull an edition - multiple copies of the same plate that look pretty much identical. i haven't reached that stage yet as i am a woefully poor inker and wiper, but the whole business is really a whole lot of fun and kind of thrilling.it's a long term investment of time and patience and very messy too. love it, and love the people i've met in the class who are very supportive and helpful and good fun- and ready with feedback that is both helpful and encouraging.my instructor pat is very patient with me and to be honest has done more work on my current plate than i have.well i was only able to post one of the pictures i wanted to due to lack of time.until we meet again.