Under the surface of traditional photographs are layers of light-sensitive emulsion stuck onto a paper base. I etch into these layers to reveal the colours within them. It works in a similar way to scraper boards.
My technique is simple. I wet a small area of photograph to soften the emulsion, then use a stylus to gently scrape off the top layers. By scraping away differing amounts, I get different colours. It’s that easy. If you can use a pen you can etch!
For red, I remove just the top layer. For gold. I remove a medium amount. For white, I scrape down to the backing paper. Black areas give me five colours, lighter areas give me less. There is no paint or ink used to create the colours in my pictures, the colours only come from how deeply I scrape into the layers of emulsion.
The only equipment necessary is a stylus. If it’s jaggy, like a pin, it will scratch right through the photographic emulsion. I use a pointed metal wax-modelling tool, filed to remove sharp edges.
Please get in touch if you have any questions