This series was part of an independent study in printmaking... I had signed up for Printmaking 3, but the class was canceled because it did not fill up enough. Because of our previous efforts in printmaking the head of the art department (who had been the university's primary professor in printmaking) let myself and another student take an independent study in printmaking under her guidance (we also had to promise to sign up for Printmaking 3 when it came up the next semester). Since starting in printmaking at UMaine a couple semesters before, I had wanted to explore various sorts of engraving which were not part of the university's curriculum in printmaking - engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, as well as further explore different types of etching. I also wanted to possibly try combining some etching and engraving techniques, especially since I had read that a very faint etching could be used as a sort of guide for engraving.

Since these were pretty much just a series of practice pieces to try out the various engraving tools that I had just bought, I thought it would be fitting to make the tools be the subject of these prints. To add to the fun, I also wanted to work some of the printing plates using mostly the tool that was going to be pictured on that particular plate.