What Is An Etching?

An Etching is a handmade print, on paper, that has been made from a copper plate that has been worked with acid. First, a design is etched into the plate using various hand methods. Next, ink is rubbed into the surface of the plate. Then the plate is wiped. Finally, the plate is printed onto a piece of dampened cotton paper under high pressure.

Aquatint Etchings: This type of etching can produce a very soft and tonal look, and involves biting tiny holes into the surface of the plate through what is known as a "porous ground". By "stopping out" areas of the plate with acid-proof paint between etches, different values of light and dark can be achieved

Hard Ground Etchings: This type of etching can create the effect of a pen & ink line, but the variety of line possible is much greater. First the plate is coated with a thin, even layer of dark wax. The design is then scratched into the wax with a sharp needle, and then etched by dipping the plate into acid. Only areas where the wax was scratched away will etch. Hard ground and Aquatint can be used on the same plate.

Soft Ground Etchings: This type of etching produces a look similar to a pencil drawing. The plate is coated with a thin layer of wax, as in hard ground, but the wax coating is much softer. A piece of paper is laid over the coated plate, and a design is drawn on the paper. When the paper is then pulled away, some of the wax coating will come off with it, leaving exposed metal. The plate can then be etched in the same manor as a hard gound etching.