The final works for this project are shown below:

I have continued work on a current project, the 4 plate colour etching of 2 cuttlebones and 2 sea urchins. I used a variety of inks on Somerset Velvet 250 gsm paper:

-Gamblin etching ink: sepia and graphite

-Charbonnel etching ink: soft black and raw sienna

I used the raw sienna in place of yellow ochre, as the yellow ochre did not seem to work well with the copper plate. The raw sienna has greater depth and consistency, fleshing out the effect of the spit etch.

Of the two works shown below, one has all plates aligned correctly, the other has them deliberately out of alignment, to see how such mis alignment impacts the extent of abstraction.

I have just tried using a new soft black etching ink from Charbonnel- the Noir Doux ink. It is easy to wipe and produces a lovely finish. The results are shown below on a 3 plate etching. I am aiming for a painterly finish.