Aquatint: An Intaglio technique
that produces broad areas of texture instead of thin, dry lines. In this
process, acid-resistant particles (powder or paint) are spread over certain
areas of the metal plate. These particles are then fused to the plate with heat. When the plate is
immersed in acid, the
particles prevent bits of the surface from being eaten away. The result is a
tiny polka dot texture that
creates the illusion of tonal range when the plate is inked and printed.
Carborundum: Another name for silicon carbide, carborundum is a abrasive
substance sometimes
used to build up the surface of a metal plate. When the plate is pressed against
dampened paper,
the raised carborundum areas leave a craggy, relief impression on the paper. The
Catalan artist
Joan Mio' helped innovate and popularize this process in the 20th Century.
Chine Colle: Chine colle is a process that introduces
colour and texture into an etching without having to prepare and pint
additional plates. Any number of lightweight papers can be
successfully used for chine colle, but good quality, natural-fibre
papers with some degree of light fastness are most compatible with
general etching papers, which are also used in chine colle. Chine
colle papers are cut or torn into desired shapes, then dampened between
blotters until uniformly moist. A printing paper used for the etching is
then blotted to remove excess water. The chine colle papers are
then bushed with a coating of wheat paste on one side and placed on top
of the inked plate in their desired locations, paste side up. The
chine colle papers adhere to the plate enough to remain undisturbed when
the dampened printing paper is placed on top. The pressure from
the bed laminates both the chine colle paper and the etching paper.
The ink from the plate pints on top of the chine colle papers, creating
some interesting and unusual effects with lines, tones, and values.
Drypoint: An intaglio technique which, in contrast to etching, does not
require acid to bite the metal
plate. In this process, a needle is used to cut directly into the plate. Unlike
engraving, the metal is
not permanently removed, but pushed into high ridges to either side of the line.
In printing, ink
gathers along these ridges to create a soft, velvety line in the final pint.
Embossing: A non-colour technique that causes raised areas on the surface
of a pint.
Engraving: An Intaglio technique similar to drypoint. When engraving, the
artist cuts his design
directly into the metal plate. The depth and thickness of the line can be
altered by hand pressure.
As in the other intaglio methods, ink gathers in the recessed areas. Dampened
paper is then
pressed against the plate to absorb the ink and produce an image in reverse.
Etching: An Intaglio technique. The surface of the metal plate is coated
with an acid-resistant
varnish. The artist then creates an image by scraping away areas of the vanish.
When the plate is
dipped in acid, these exposed areas are dissolved. In printing, ink gathers in
the recessed areas
and produces an image in reverse when pressed against dampened paper.
Gouache: An opaque and heavier form of watercolour.
Intaglio: A category of printmaking in which an image is incised o
etched into a metal plate. Ink is
then applied to these incised or etched areas beneath the plate's surface. When
pressed against
dampened paper, the inked plate produces an image in reverse. Because most
plates are smaller
than the paper size, a plate mark is often left in the paper. Aquatint, etching,
engraving and drypoint
all fall into the Intaglio category.
Linoleum cut (Linocut): A relief technique popularized by Matisse and
Picasso in the 20th Century.
In this technique, a thin block of linoleum is mounted on wood. The artist then
uses a sharp
instrument to cut away the linoleum. In contrast to the intaglio techniques,
where the recessed areas
are inked, only the higher areas of linoleum are inked and printed, not the
areas that have been cut
away.
Lithograph: The artist draws directly onto a stone block with greasy ink
o crayon. The stone is then
dampened. Colour is applied but, being repelled by water, sticks only to the
greasy lines. The stone
is usually larger than the printing paper and therefore leaves no plate mark.
Mezzotint: An intaglio technique. The artist begins by roughening the
entire plate surface with a
scratching tool. He or she then scrapes the design into the scratched areas. In
printing, the ink
sticks to the roughened areas but not the design. The result is an image in
white on a black
background.
Monotype: A unique print made by painting directly onto a metal plate
then pressing paper against
it. The resulting image will be in reverse. Since the plate is not permanently
marked, it can only be
printed once.
Pochoir: French for stencil, the term is applied to
a class of print usually hand-coloured through a series of carefully cut
out stencils. This process was much used in Paris during the early
decades of the 20th century. Especially popular in the art deco
period, used for fashion plates amongst other things.
Screenprints/Silkscreen/Seigraphy: Ink is printed onto the paper though
a fine silk screen which
produces areas of textured colour. The areas not receiving colour are blocked
out with stencils.
Screen-printing has its roots in commercial images, hence its appeal to Pop
Artists Roy
Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Currently, screen-printing is popular in mixed
media works where it
adds a soft texture to complex images.
Sugar-Lift Aquatint (also known as Lift-ground Etching): An etching
technique that preserves the
artist's brushwork and permits broad areas of colour instead of thin, dry lines.
The artist begins by
painting the metal plate with a solution of sugar and black ink. The entire
plate is then coated with
an acid-resistant vanish. When the plate is immersed in warm water, the sugar
mixture melts, lifting
away pat of the vanish. The plate is then grained for texture (see aquatint
method) and dipped in
acid. Where the vanish has been lifted, the acid bites into the plate.* In
printing, ink gathers in this
etched area and creates a rich black tone on the paper. For sugar-lift aquatint,
*It is also possible to
apply acid directly to the metal plate with a bush. This method is difficult to
control but Picasso
favoured it for the variety of unusual textures it could produce.
Woodcut: A relief technique, like the linocut, in which colour is applied
to the raised areas instead of
the areas that have been caved away. In this process, the artist caves a
design into a block of
wood and then inks the areas that have not been cut away. In the resulting
prints, the ink often retains the texture of the wood grain. The woodcut technique originated in China
and has a strong
tradition in Japan. The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, known for his painting
The Scream, helped
revitalize the technique in Europe at the end of the 19th Century.
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