Scott Griffin, June 2006

Scott Griffin studied printmaking at Florida State University and graduated in 1997 having never taken a class in engraving. In 1998 he attempted his first engraving, hoping to enhance his etchings and aquatints. He has been hooked ever since, and has taught himself everything he can about the rare and old-fashioned process. Scott moved to Los Angeles in 1998 in hopes of using this unique talent to illustrate books.

The engraving process is involved: first, a drawing is cut into a zinc plate using a burin, a metal tool with a sharp point, to remove the metal and create the lines of the drawing. Once the drawing is completed, ink is applied to the plate with a dabber or roller and forced into the grooves cut by the burin. The zinc plate is then cleaned, and a sheet of paper is laid over the plate. The plate and paper pass through a rolling press that applies pressure and forces the paper into the grooves to pick up the ink. The paper is then gently peeled from the plate to reveal the finished print.

You can see more of Scott's work here.

"Steve and Jackson", engraving by Scott Griffin