Artists take part at the print-making camp in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, March 20: Artists from six states are taking part in a print-making workshop organised by the regional centre of Lalit Kala Akademi. The weeklong workshop commenced on Saturday. Fifteen artists are part of the event.

The artists have been busy etching — the process of using strong acid into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design.

“Print-making can be divided into four categories — relief print, intaglio, lithography and serigraphy. All the artists here are working on intaglio. We draw the image on zinc plates and then dip it in acid. The carved out space caves in because of contact with acid while the acid-resistant part of the plate remains the same. We take the prints on the paper to see if we have got the desired image. The duration of the plate dipped in the acid determines the tone of the picture. Each piece takes minimum seven days to create,” said Rabinarayan Gupta, an artist from Chhattisgarh.

Rakesh Bani, another artist from Chhattisgarh, said the technique and quality of the image produced through etching was different from paintings. “The kind of detailing that is possible with etching is not possible in painting. Moreover, since it is on a zinc plate, the image can be replicated several times,” he said.

Regional secretary Ramahari Jena said the Akademi had handpicked the artists who were chosen from different age groups. “Artists usually work in privacy in their studios. The workshop is an effort to bring them together share a common medium and methodology to create distinct artwork,” Jena said.

London-based painter and writer Prafulla Mohanti will be felicitate the participants on Friday.