Aquatint
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Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching.
In intaglio printmaking, the artist makes marks on the matrix (in the case of aquatint, a copper or zinc plate) that are capable of holding ink. The inked plate is passed through a printing press together with a sheet of paper, resulting in a transfer of the ink to the paper. This can be repeated a number of times, depending on the particular technique.
Like etching, aquatint uses the application of acid to make the marks in the metal plate. Where the engraving technique uses a needle to make lines that print in black (or whatever color ink is used), aquatint uses powdered rosin to create a tonal effect. The rosin is acid resistant and typically adhered to the plate by controlled heating. The tonal variation is controlled by the level of acid exposure over large areas, and thus the image is shaped by large sections at a time.
Another tonal technique, mezzotint, begins with a plate surface that is evenly indented so that it will carry a fairly dark tone of ink. The mezzotint plate is then smoothed and polished to make areas carry less ink and thus print a lighter shade. Alternatively, beginning with a smooth plate, areas are roughened to make them darker. Occasionally these two techniques are combined.
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History[edit]
The painter and printmaker Jan van de Velde invented the aquatint technique in Amsterdam, around 1650.[1] The cartographer Peter Perez Burdett later introduced his 'secret' aquatint technique to England in the 1770s.[2]
The technique of aquatint[edit]
An aquatint requires a metal plate, an acid, and something to resist the acid. Traditionally copper or zinc plates were used. The artist applies a ground that will resist acid. Ground is applied by either dissolving powdered resin in spirits, applying the powder directly to the surface of the plate, or by using a liquid acrylic resist. In all forms of etching the acid resist is commonly referred to as "the ground."
The plate is then heated; if the plate is covered with powder, the resin melts forming a fine and even coat; if it is in spirits, the spirits evaporate and the result is essentially the same. Now the plate is dipped in acid, producing an even and fine level of corrosion (the "bite") sufficient to hold ink. At this point, the plate is said to carry about a 50% halftone. This means that, were the plate printed with no further biting, the paper would display a gray color more or less directly in between white (no ink) and black (full ink).
At some point the artist will then etch an outline of any aspects of the drawing he wishes to establish with line; this provides the basis and guide for his later tone work. He may also have applied (at the very start, before any biting occurs) an acid-resistant "stop out" (also called an asphaltum or hard ground) if he intends to keep any areas totally white and free of ink, such as highlights.
The artist then begins immersing the plate in the acid bath, progressively stopping out (protecting from acid) any areas that have achieved the designed tonality. These tones, combined with the limited line elements, give aquatints a distinctive, watery look. Also, aquatints, like mezzotints, provide ease in creating large areas of tone without laborious cross-hatching; but aquatint plates, it is noted, are generally more durable than mezzotint plates.
The first etch should be for a short period of time (30 seconds to 1 minute, with a wide variation depending on how light the lightest tones are meant to be). A test piece may be made with etching times noted, as the strength of the etchant will vary. More than thirty minutes should produce a very dark area. Etching for many hours (up to 24) will be as dark as etching for one hour, but the deep etch would produce raised ink on the paper.
Contemporary printmakers often use spraypaint instead of a powder.
Famous examples[edit]
- Francisco Goya famously took great advantage of aquatint printmaking, in his Los Caprichos series (1799); Los Desastres de la Guerra (1810–19); La Tauromaquia (1816); and Los disparates (ca. 1816–23).
- Master engraver Robert Havell used aquatint for John James Audubon's Birds of America (1826–38).
- David Hockney, known for his many paintings of the Los Angeles lifestyle in the 60's, has created a number of aquatints and etchings used with color in his "The Blue Guita"[3] series of prints.
- La Belle Assemblée, a British women's magazine published from 1806 to 1837 had many aquatint colored plates.
See also[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- Prideaux, S. T. Aquatint engraving; a chapter in the history of book illustration (London : Duckworth & Co., 1909).
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aquatint prints by Francisco de Goya |
References[edit]
- ^ Hind AM (1963) A History of Engraving and Etching. Dover Publications, New York.
- ^ Ann V. Gunn, "Sandby, Greville and Burdett, and the 'Secret' of Aquatint," Print Quarterly, XXIX, no. 2, 2012, pp. 178-180.
- ^ "David Hockney : Graphics / Blue Guitar". Hockneypictures.com. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
External links[edit]
- Prints & People: A Social History of Printed Pictures, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on aquatint
- "Aquatint". crownpoint.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- "The Printed Image in the West: Aquatint". metmuseum.org. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- "Aquatint (printmaking) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". britannica.com. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- "Aquatint (printmaking) – Hans Koernig Painter and Printmaker". hans-koernig.de. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
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