Hermann Isaac. Nothing is Permanent

Artist interview with Perth WA printmaker Hermann Isaac, taking you inside his studio to explore how he builds an etching from first drawing through, aquatint and sugar lift techniques, to final print, and why daily practice matters more than perfection.

Hermann shares how he plans compositions, reverses and resizes drawings for the plate, and then works through sugar lift, aquatint, inking and selective wiping to create rich blacks, subtle tones and those “little miracles” that appear through chemistry and chance. He breaks down key works like “Snake Head”, “The Opportunist” and his satirical national emblem etching, showing exactly how he combines control with accident to keep each print alive and surprising. From experimenting with turps, ink, aquatint and sugar lift to reworking plates for darker, more expressionist moods, Hermann’s studio practice is all about curiosity, close looking and staying open to what the materials want to do. He also talks about keeping prints affordable, using simple framing, and drawing constant inspiration from everyday life in Western Australia, pink galahs, dogs in guitar cases, and the changing world around us. If you’d like to learn directly from Hermann, keep an eye out for his upcoming online printmaking workshop on Proartika, where he’ll demonstrate these techniques step by step and guide you through developing your own etchings from first sketch to finished print.

If you would like to know more about sugar-lift and aquatint techniques check out Hermann’s course page: Contemporary Aquatint & Sugar-Lift Intaglio Printmaking Course

This online printmaking course is ideal for artists and printmakers seeking expressive, contemporary intaglio techniques with master printmaker, focusing on non‑toxic aquatint and sugar‑lift etching reimagined through modern practice. You will learn Hermann’s innovative spray‑paint aquatint method for rich tonal depth and subtle gradations, alongside fluid, painterly sugar‑lift etching that foregrounds gesture, mark‑making, and drawing in the printed image. Using accessible, studio‑friendly, non‑toxic materials suitable for home or shared studios, this online intaglio workshop helps you expand your printmaking vocabulary and develop a personal contemporary artistic voice through focused experimentation with these key techniques; access to an etching press is required.