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Sonia Rollo Master Printmaker
Limited Edition Etchings
Sonia Rolllo was born and brought up near Manchester.
After graduating in1968 from the University of Glasgow with a degree
in Botany, Sonia worked as editor of a scientific
journal.
In 1985 she studied printmaking at Morley College. Sonia
has exhibited throughout the UK since 1993 and her work has proved
particularly popular in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
Sonia grew
up surrounded by a selection of different animals including Hilary the
pig who would let Sonia ride on her back. It is clear that the natural
world still exerts an important influence on her work.
TechniqueSonia Rollo creates her animal etchings by first drawing the outline of the animal. Using a zinc metal plate covered with a fine dusting of rosin, which has been melted on. Areas, which are to remain white, are painted over with varnish. The plate is immersed in a bath of nitric acid to bite between the blobs of rosin. This makes the aquatint. The plate is then cleaned.
Next the plate is covered with a layer of soft wax, drawing into the wax using a needle, a wire brush or often a pan scrub, to give the texture of fur or feather. The plate goes back into the nitric acid to bite the lines.
Each print is made by covering the plate with ink, then wiping off the surplus ink with muslin. The inked plate is put on a hand-operated press and covered with damp paper. The print comes cold and wet of the press

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