One client requested that I make a custom copper plate of their significant other’s cat, named Bagheera. I was sent a picture of Bagheera to recreate on a 6×8″ plate.
My first step in making a plate is to create a stencil design from the photo. To get a good likeness, I aim to reduce the image to 3 colours, then add a background colour. To cut a proper stencil with the cutting machine software that I have, I need to convert to a monochromatic image with one continuous cut around the perimeter of the design.
I load the monochrome design in the cutting machine software, scale it to size for a 6×8″ plate, then let it cut. Invariably, there are many tiny bits of vinyl that get lifted off during the cut. I do not worry about losing the tiny details; just so long as no important piece is lost. If a significant detail is lost, then I’ll either repair it or fill it back in with a little silicone caulking after I transfer the stencil to the copper plate.
“Weeding” is the term for removing the unwanted parts of the stencil. This can take a lot of time for each colour in a highly-detailed design, like Bagheera. After I paint the black layer and let it cure, I will weed the vinyl stencil and apply chemicals for each colour layer, one at a time.
The background is next, so I weed the stencil, apply chemicals and texture to the copper, then seal the plate in the reaction chamber. Depending on the concentration of the chemicals and the kind of look I am aiming for, the plate will “cook” anywhere between 3 to 24 hours, or longer. After the reaction is complete, the surface is washed/rinsed, dried, sealed with clear coat, and left to cure. This same process of weeding, reacting, rinsing, and sealing is repeated for each colour layer.
The last colour layer is the bare copper, which is done when you weed the stencil and seal it with clear coat. After the clear coat cures, the final step is attaching the hanging hardware.
I use 1/4″ thick plywood as a backing material, but most hanging hardware around use screws or nails that are too long. I don’t want anything poking through to the front so I add a little thickness by gluing on a small rectangle cut from wooden tongue depressors onto the back. I use a type of sawtooth hanger that gets hammered directly into the wood and add rubber feet on the back to finish each plate.
In the end, I spent a total of 3 hours of computer time to make the Bagheera design from the reference photo and just about 4 hours of hands-on working time to apply the colour layers. This took place over a period of 2 days because much time for each colour layer is in waiting for something to cure, dry, or chemically react. Fortunately, so long as there is room and I don’t bump anything around, I can put neighbours in with a detailed plate like Bagheera, which takes multiple visits to the chamber, and not completely halt all other production. Overall, I think that I was successful in capturing the likeness of Bagheera the Cat, and am glad that the client was satisfied with the end result.
