I attended an in-person introduction to ‘Etching the Garden’, hosted by Cambridge Botanic Garden, and led by Charlotte Aldis and Patsy Rathbone.

We were given a selection of photographs to choose from as inspiration, or we could bring our own. I chose a photograph of Euphorbia flowers (possibly Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii), taken by Charlotte and Patsy. I etched the image onto a 175-micron acetate sheet using an etching needle. I then inked the acetate, applying the ink with a stiff plastic card (approximately one-third of a cut Nectar card), and removed the ink until I achieved the desired effect using scrim (a soft fabric pad).

I experimented with a selection of coloured inks and varied the amount of ink I removed using either scrim or cotton buds for more precise highlights. The image was printed onto damp paper using an etching press, with additional colours printed in layers on top.

The images are:

1. full-colour print with yellow-green fore-bracts, emerald green hind-bracts and ovaries, red oval glands, and an olive-green background.

2. ghost print (second print without re-inking), using the same colours as the first print.

3. print with yellow-green fore-bracts and oval glands, emerald green hind-bracts and ovaries, and an olive-green background.

4. sepia-toned print.

5. single-colour emerald green print, with highlights created by removing ink from the acetate using a cotton bud.

6. etched acetate printing sheet.