All squared

Continuing with my new sized square print. I'd put a hard ground on but had been too tentative with the line work.
Another hard ground required...

hard ground line work

Much better, the grasses no frame the path, and the line tracing the route taken by walkers makes better sense. Strangely I found it much easier to create fluidity in the lines on this second hard ground, maybe the first set of lines gave me a structure to work with so my mark making could be more relaxed.

Spit bite aquatint

Next I need to sort the confusing shapes in the tree canopy and strengthen the shaping of the path floor. I put an aquatint over the plate and used spit bite to create a variety of tones. Its all a bit flat in places so a bit of gentle scraping is the next step.

"July 6th, Sunday" 20 x 20 cm etching

The scraping and burnishing worked a treat in the distant trees, bringing a bit of light through past the furthest tree trunks, creating a satisfactory focal point. And voila - done!