At-Home Stone Lithography - Lemon Juice Counter Etch

Today's video is about stone litho additions and deletions.

Additions are done with a counter etch, typically a mix of citric acid and warm water. Since lemon juice is full of citric acid, I thought why not try mixing lemon juice and warm water and giving it a go. It's the same active ingredient, the difference being my mix was totally unmeasured and might not have given the best possible outcome. As citric acid is not really a dangerous material for a home studio, I think I will be mixing up proper proportions the next time I try it.

I did two rounds of deletions on the stone. For the first, I used etching needles to scratch the surface, removing the ink, followed by a "hot" lemon etch. The second, not shown in the video, was done with a rubber hone to erase more of the background, once again followed by a lemon etch in those areas. Initially after the counter etch and additions, I wasn't very happy with it, but the deletions brought the image back to life.

I have some ideas for a second layer, but they will have to wait!

Thanks, as always, for watching, liking and/or commenting!

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