Project 10: Etched in the Stars

I'm not particularly impressed with this project. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to and unfortunately it reflects the fact that I couldn't put that much time into it. But anyway, my goal for this one was to create an etched picture on a sheet of glass. I came up with a basic landscape scene, made a template and then 'etched' the design. I made two decisions that I'd regret, but more on that later. Also, clear glass with etching on it doesn't photograph all that well, so I don't have too many pictures up.

The Process:

First thing was to design my scene. I chose to do hills at night. I threw a tree in to make it a little more interesting.

Next step was to cut out the spaces that I wanted to etch. Mistake #1: I used normal printer paper instead of buying contact paper. The problem with paper is that it doesn't adhere to the glass so there is room for the etching acid to seep into spaces besides the cutouts.

An x-acto knife is a girl's best friend.

I had to tape the template to the glass.

You can see the gaps behind the paper >.<

Finally, I had to etch the glass. Mistake #2: I opted to use an aerosol spray which gives glass a 'frosted' look instead of using the actual etching acid. The aerosol didn't apply evenly. It's also thinner than the acid so it bled more than the acid would have. Oh well, you live and learn.

The Final Product:

White background.

The dots in the sky are supposed to be stars...

So that's all I got. Be sure to check out Project 9. I'm much prouder of that one and since it was posted late, I'm not sure many people saw it.