For this etching I polished a copper plate of 15 x 12,5 cm and put on 'etching ground': a thin layer of a mixture of bee's wax, asphalt and some other substances. When the ground was dry I started to draw the trees into the wax with a fine steel point: the etching needle. For this first 'state' just the main shapes and after one dip of the plate (for about 10 minutes) in a bath of ferro-chloride I did this proof printing. In this way the drawn lines have been transformed into tiny cracks in the copper.
The printing is done after the removal of the ground with turpentine. I cover the plate with a special ink and wipe it off again in a way that it remains in the cracks. After that I roll the plate with a damp piece of etching paper through the press.