This was a very specific birthday present request, and is meant to show a prelude to a murder. Below is the first and seventh proofs of the steel plate after much burnishing and darkening.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4RLuAAUwwBsyi0UgLWc4DvoAPvLbGh5o-F6Bpm1vWQiywjZ4TVk4F2bDuJRlJ6fpqYvjEnLQJ3laRgKRe0nozlGN16JLFc4b5BVtil-kDj8NHY_aT5ENUdkAWoyWxe9fQu6iuX0Kp8a3/s400/CarVerSeven.jpg)
The before and after of burnishing and darkening: Steel naturally has a surface texture to it which means that it'll always be off-white when printing, unless it's burnished. This was the first time I'd used steel for etching on, so I was trying to get to grips with the darkening.