A flat aluminium plate is first coated with an acid resistant ground, which consists of bitumen. The  ground is spread onto the surface and spread evenly in a thin layer using a hard roller.  The ground hardens and is then ready for the design to be scratched through the hardened coating, exposing the metal below.

​

The whole plate is then immersed into a bed of acid. This burns or etches only the exposed areas of the metal plate where the design has been drawn. The longer the plate remains in the acid, the deeper the lines are etched. The depth and density of the etched lines controls the tones of the print.

​

In some prints I like to use Sugar lift which involves an extra step. A sugar lift is made by painting on the surface of the plate with a brush dipped in a solution made of sugar and water which resists acid, The sugar solution must be removed, or lifted, before the plate goes in the acid. After the sugar lifts, you apply an aquatint, and the acid bites into the portions that were drawn using the sugar solution.