This is almost finished now. The plate was found in a drawer with lots of bends and marks, but I couldn't resist seeing what might print. The border marks are all 'original' scratches.
The found plate - creating the boarder and then buffing marks out of the centre
Sugarlift application + permanent marker for the bits I want the lightest
Working with the original photo to check my perspective is correct + using paint pen
Fail - something was wrong with the aquatint. I had to basically start again
Win -
Second time lucky, I am seeing a better contrast between tones
Sugarlift uses a soluble medium to allow for a painted effect on a copper plate. The solution is a mixture of sugar, ink, dishwashing liquid and water.
You paint your design on, let it dry, and then cover the entire plate with bitumen. Once that has dried, you then use very hot water to 'lift' the bitumen that is covering the painted sections. The sugar dissolves and lifts the bitumen off the copper. Then you etch the plate in ferric. You can layer it to create tonal variation - if you have the patience. This will be my next experiment.
This print of the larger plate shows the painted style.