Although I have experimented with a wide variety of media, below are descriptions of the ones I most often employ in creating my artwork.

• Etching
• Embossing
• Pencil
• Pen & Ink

     The art of etching is a very old one. The traditional process involves coating a metal plate, usually zinc or copper, with a substance that resists acid. A design is then scratched through the protective coating with a sharp tool, and the plate is placed in a bath of diluted nitric acid until the exposed areas of the metal are eaten away to the desired degree. This is intaglio etching.
     Drypoint etching is where a sharp tool is used to scratch a design directly into the plate. A variety of tools can be employed to render lines and patterns of different widths and depths.
     Aquatint involves spraying a fine dot pattern onto the surface of the metal, either with paint, or by using powdered resin. Particular areas of the design can be blocked out with a protective coating. The plate is then placed in the acid bath. This process produces texture and shading, and gives depth to a line drawing.
     A more recently developed process uses photosensitive plates, strong lights, and water. The materials and process are far less toxic than traditional methods, and do not require a lot of expensive equipment.
     After the plate is etched, using one or more of the described techniques, it is then wiped with a thick ink. This ink is retained in the areas where the metal has been scratched or pitted. The plate is then placed on a press, and dampened printing paper is placed on top of it. As these are run through the press, the paper is pushed into the tiny grooves and pits, picking up the ink, thereby producing a mirror image of the design on the plate. After the ink has dried for several days, the print may be hand-colored with water colors or colored pencils.
     There are newer, less toxic techniques being employed by many etching artists today which involve the use of a photo-sensitive polymer film mounted on a flat, stable plate that will hold up when run through a press.

     An embossed image is created when dampened printing paper is pressed into a design that has been carved into a plate, thereby 'molding' the paper. The deeper the carved-out area in the plate, the higher above the paper's surface the design will be raised. Plates can be made from linoleum, plastic, wood, or metal.

     Over the last several years, colored pencils have gained in popularity and acceptance as a serious art medium. Classes are being offered, instructional books are easy to find, and a wide spectrum of materials is available in art supply stores. There are art shows one can attend in which colored pencil is the only medium on display.
     One of the most attractive things about the use of colored pencils as a fine-art medium is practicality. The requirements are little more than a tablet of paper, a sharpener, and some pencils. The pencils are also very easy to clean up after. The artist can render a variety of effects with just one pencil: thin lines and pinpoints, wide areas of color, broad lines, "drawings", and "paintings", just to list a few. Colored pencil can be applied to a surprising number of surfaces: paper, cotton, linen, wood, matte-finish acetate film, and gesso.
     One of the most important secrets of colored pencil renderings is the layering of colors. Two or three or more hues may be overlayed to produce a single color, but it will have greater depth and complexity than if a single pencil of that final color was used.
Fine-art pencils contain carefully blended organic and inorganic pigments, binders, clays, and waxes. Different "recipes" exist for these ingredients, depending upon the uses for which a certain colored pencil is made, and the hardnesses and variations in color that are desired.
     The wide variety of tones available in the blacks and grays of graphite pencil renderings offers completely different challenges and opportunities than those from colored pencils. It is similar to the differences between black and white photography and color photography. Graphite pencil drawings are more about contrast and definition, and perhaps, focus.
     The common #2 pencil is a good all-around drawing pencil; but to obtain intense contrast, clarity and density, the artist needs to use an array of hardnesses, which can range from 8H (very hard) to 8B (very soft). As graphite has a metallic quality, it lends a special aspect to artwork in which it is used. If combined with colored pencil, however, it must be used with restraint and attention to purpose.

     Pen and ink is another medium of high contrasts. It is most often used for line drawings, but depth and texture can be obtained with crosshatching and stippling techniques. The opaque ink is usually applied with a technical pen, quill pen, or a high quality felt tipped pen. Medium weight, coated paper, or coated acetate film are best suited for these materials. Because the tools used in pen and ink drawings do not require sharpening as pencils do, an artist can achieve a higher level of consistency in the sharpness of outlines, patterning, and definition of the spaces between the shapes.