This is the general name for etching, engraving, aquatint, drypoint etc. and describes the process of printing from the lower surface of a block plate.
A metal plate - normally copper, zinc or steel - is prepared using one of the above processes. It is warmed and stiff ink is forced into the lines ①. The surface of the plate is then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines ②. The plate is positioned face up on the bed of the press, a sheet of dampened paper ③ is laid over the plate and felt blankets are placed over the paper. Plate and paper are then rolled through the press under great pressure, transferring the ink from plate to paper ④. Because the paper has been placed face down on the plate, the print is a mirror image of the drawing on the plate. Wood or lino blocks are occasionally printed intaglio ⑤.
Platemaking Methods
A drypoint is made by simply scratching the surface of a metal (or sometimes plastic) plate with a needle or similar point. The burr of the metal raised by the tool gives a drypoint print its unique characteristic but quickly wears out.
An engraving is made by cutting into the surface of a metal plate with a lozenge-shaped tool. The engraved line is characterised by its ability to swell and diminish in response to variations in pressure during cutting.
In mezzotint, a multi-pointed tool is rocked over the surface of a metal plate to form a regular pattern of pits. The plate is rocked in several different directions for a considerable time until the plate, if printed, would give a rich velvety black. The plate is then gradually scraped and burnished back to give a wide range of tones. A mezzotint is characterised by the trace of the rocking lines in the grey areas.
An etching is made by covering the surface of a metal plate with an acid resistant coating - the hard ground - through which the artist draws with a needle or similar point, exposing the bare metal. When the drawing is complete the plate is immersed in a bath of dilute acid which eats away the metal in the places that it has been exposed by the needle. The longer the plate is etched, the deeper the line. The deeper the line, the more ink it will hold and the blacker it will print. A range of line depths can be obtained during the etching process by either painting some out with varnish or by adding more lines, and returning the plate to the acid. When the plate has been fully etched the ground and varnish are cleaned off and it is ready to print. The term etching is used to describe any print made by an intaglio process.
For soft-ground etching, the plate is coated with a pressure-sensitive, acid-resistant ground. A sheet of thin paper is laid on the grounding plate and a drawing made, in pencil, on the paper. When the drawing is complete the paper is peeled off the plate. Where the pencil has pushed the paper into the soft ground, the ground sticks to the paper and is partially removed. When the plate is immersed in acid, the acid bites these areas giving a granular line which prints very much like a pencil drawing. Interesting effects can be achieved by pressing various textured materials into the ground.
When a large area of plate is exposed to acid it is referred to as open bite. On zinc or copper it gives an area of pale tone surrounded by a darker line. If the plate is steel it prints as a black.
Aquatint (from the Italian, Aqua Tinta: coloured water) was initially developed to replicate the effect of watercolour painting. Fine resin is dusted evenly over a metal plate and fixed by melting. If any areas of white are required in the prints these are first painted out with varnish. The plate is then etched for a short time in a very dilute acid. If printed this would give the palest grey. The plate is progressively stopped out and etched until a full range of greys is obtained - this requires a degree of skill, and prior testing is advised. Under a magnifying glass the characteristic pattern of the aquatint can be seen: tiny specks of white (areas of the plate protected by the melted grains of resin) surrounded by haloes of black.
For the positive crayon method a metal plate - ideally steel - is thoroughly degreased. A drawing is made using lithographic drawing materials, such as crayons and tusche with a high grease content. The drawing plate is then sprayed with diluted straw hat varnish. When this coating is dry, the drawing can be carefully washed out with white spirit, leaving the straw hat varnish as an acid resistant ground. The plate is then carefully etched.
Collagraph blocks (from the Greek: kolla - glue and graph - writing) can be printed intaglio, relief, or a combination of both. Metal plates are not usually used for this technique, instead the printing surface is built up by gluing a range of materials, such as paper, sand, plant material, string etc, to a cardboard backing sheet. This collage is then sealed with a varnish-like shellac to create a print-ready matrix.
Proprietary systems are available to make photo etching using film positives or negatives. Process engraving plates are made by specialists using the Dow etching process. They are normally used for relief printing but can also be printed intaglio.
This is the general name for etching, engraving, aquatint, drypoint etc. and describes the process of printing from the lower surface of a block plate.
A metal plate - normally copper, zinc or steel - is prepared using one of the above processes. It is warmed and stiff ink is forced into the lines ①. The surface of the plate is then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines ②. The plate is positioned face up on the bed of the press, a sheet of dampened paper ③ is laid over the plate and felt blankets are placed over the paper. Plate and paper are then rolled through the press under great pressure, transferring the ink from plate to paper ④. Because the paper has been placed face down on the plate, the print is a mirror image of the drawing on the plate. Wood or lino blocks are occasionally printed intaglio ⑤.
Platemaking Methods
A drypoint is made by simply scratching the surface of a metal (or sometimes plastic) plate with a needle or similar point. The burr of the metal raised by the tool gives a drypoint print its unique characteristic but quickly wears out.
An engraving is made by cutting into the surface of a metal plate with a lozenge-shaped tool. The engraved line is characterised by its ability to swell and diminish in response to variations in pressure during cutting.
In mezzotint, a multi-pointed tool is rocked over the surface of a metal plate to form a regular pattern of pits. The plate is rocked in several different directions for a considerable time until the plate, if printed, would give a rich velvety black. The plate is then gradually scraped and burnished back to give a wide range of tones. A mezzotint is characterised by the trace of the rocking lines in the grey areas.
An etching is made by covering the surface of a metal plate with an acid resistant coating - the hard ground - through which the artist draws with a needle or similar point, exposing the bare metal. When the drawing is complete the plate is immersed in a bath of dilute acid which eats away the metal in the places that it has been exposed by the needle. The longer the plate is etched, the deeper the line. The deeper the line, the more ink it will hold and the blacker it will print. A range of line depths can be obtained during the etching process by either painting some out with varnish or by adding more lines, and returning the plate to the acid. When the plate has been fully etched the ground and varnish are cleaned off and it is ready to print. The term etching is used to describe any print made by an intaglio process.
For soft-ground etching, the plate is coated with a pressure-sensitive, acid-resistant ground. A sheet of thin paper is laid on the grounding plate and a drawing made, in pencil, on the paper. When the drawing is complete the paper is peeled off the plate. Where the pencil has pushed the paper into the soft ground, the ground sticks to the paper and is partially removed. When the plate is immersed in acid, the acid bites these areas giving a granular line which prints very much like a pencil drawing. Interesting effects can be achieved by pressing various textured materials into the ground.
When a large area of plate is exposed to acid it is referred to as open bite. On zinc or copper it gives an area of pale tone surrounded by a darker line. If the plate is steel it prints as a black.
Aquatint (from the Italian, Aqua Tinta: coloured water) was initially developed to replicate the effect of watercolour painting. Fine resin is dusted evenly over a metal plate and fixed by melting. If any areas of white are required in the prints these are first painted out with varnish. The plate is then etched for a short time in a very dilute acid. If printed this would give the palest grey. The plate is progressively stopped out and etched until a full range of greys is obtained - this requires a degree of skill, and prior testing is advised. Under a magnifying glass the characteristic pattern of the aquatint can be seen: tiny specks of white (areas of the plate protected by the melted grains of resin) surrounded by haloes of black.
For the positive crayon method a metal plate - ideally steel - is thoroughly degreased. A drawing is made using lithographic drawing materials, such as crayons and tusche with a high grease content. The drawing plate is then sprayed with diluted straw hat varnish. When this coating is dry, the drawing can be carefully washed out with white spirit, leaving the straw hat varnish as an acid resistant ground. The plate is then carefully etched.
Collagraph blocks (from the Greek: kolla - glue and graph - writing) can be printed intaglio, relief, or a combination of both. Metal plates are not usually used for this technique, instead the printing surface is built up by gluing a range of materials, such as paper, sand, plant material, string etc, to a cardboard backing sheet. This collage is then sealed with a varnish-like shellac to create a print-ready matrix.
Proprietary systems are available to make photo etching using film positives or negatives. Process engraving plates are made by specialists using the Dow etching process. They are normally used for relief printing but can also be printed intaglio.