Mezzotint

Intaglio processes used in making prints from metal can be divided into two broad categories according to whether an image is cut into the material directly by hand, or etched with the aid of chemicals. Purely manual techniques include mezzotint, engraving and dry point. In the case of mezzotint, the entire surface of a polished copper plate is first roughened with a special tool: the mezzotint rocker, a stainless steel instrument with a fine, sharpened, transverse serrated half-round blade which will impress a band of tiny pit marks when worked to and fro. When “rocked” across the surface of the plate, following an exact pattern of criss-crossing and overlapping passes, the pitted surface is extended and consolidated gradually to generate a rough metallic velvet surface. The entire process of rocking a plate may take up to 15 hours or more depending on the size of the plate. If the plate were inked and a print were pulled at this stage it would be completely black, an absolute black of depth only this technique is able to produce. The artist begins to develop an image on the plate by smoothing back down areas of the roughly textured surface using a scraper and burnisher made of stainless steel, passing gradually through the range of intermediate gray shades to absolute white in areas where the surface is completely smoothed back down. Once the artist feels the image is complete, the plate is inked up and the excess ink is carefully wiped away with a tarlatan, areas of gray will hold less ink then the velvety black areas where the pitted surface has been untouched, and the white areas which have been completely smoothed down, will hold no ink. The inked plate is placed onto a printing press and a dampened piece of paper is placed on top, then under tremendous pressure, all is run between the steel roller of the press. The moistened paper is pressed into the ink filled surface of the copper plate. This procedure is repeated so that a set of prints are pulled, which the artist signs and numbers, producing a true limited edition of prints.


     Mezzotint plate after I have worked on the image. The shiny areas which have been smoothed back into the surface of the copper, will be my whites or highlights.

   Image after inking and printing the plate above. I have hand-colored the flower.