Lecture Part II

Engraving - Lines are incised on a highly polished metal plate by means of a sharp-pointed instrument, diamond-shaped in cross section, called a burin or graver. The strength of the line may be increased by cutting deeper. The burin is held in a fixed position and, to produce a curved line, the plate itself is turned. This makes engraving a slow and painstaking technique producing controlled, formal results. The careful control required by the cutting method results in a rather stiff, controlled style of image, with shading accomplished through the use of parallel lines, or "hatching."

Jean Daulle, Portrait of Anastasia Ioannovna,

Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg, 1761

Engraving, 576 x 430 mm. The Hermitage, St.

Petersburg

Aquatint - A technique of acid-biting areas of tone rather than lines. A copper plate is protected by a powdered ground that is melted onto the surface of the plate. It is acid resistant, but covers incompletely, resulting in a grainy surface texture. The longer the plate is left in the acid bath, the darker and heavier the texture will become. It is usually combined with a standard etching ground that permits lines and clear white areas as well. The final effect is an image on a fine pebbled background. Aquatint is usually employed in combination with line etching when subtle value gradations are desired.

Goya Y Lucientes, Francisco de. As far back as his grandfather, 1797-98 Aquatint, 215 x 150 mm

Mezzotint - The only intaglio technique that proceeds from dark to light rather than the opposite. The metal plate is totally abraded with an instrument called a rocker. Were it inked and printed at this point, it would produce an even, rich black. The design, in areas of tone rather than lines, is produced entirely by smoothing areas of the plate with a scraper or a burnishing tool. The more scraping and burnishing done, the lighter the area.

Green, Valentine

Portrait of the Ladies Waldegrave, 1781

Mezzotint, 1st state, 545 x 620 mm

The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Lithography (Planographic Printing)

In planographic printing there is no difference in level between the inked surface and the non-inked surface. Lithograph is a planographic technique in which the artist draws directly on a flat stone or specially prepared metal plate (usually with a greasy crayon). The stone is dampened with water, then inked. The ink clings to the greasy crayon marks, but not to the dampened areas. When a piece of paper is pressed against the stone, the ink on the greasy parts is transferred to it. The final print showing neither a raised nor embossed quality but lying entirely on the surface of the paper. The design may be divided among several stones, properly registered, to produce, through multiple printings, a lithograph in more than one color.