aquatint mezzotint
-
A plate is first bitten in a solid aquatint, then a design
is worked on top of the aquatint with a scraper and burnisher.
If
the aquatinted plate was inked and printed without any burnishing
or working, the plate would print solid black. The lightest
areas of the print are the most worked with the aquatint
flattened. This is a fairly tedious method, burnishing and
flattening areas to be lightened. In the traditional mezzotint,
the pattern is derived from a mezzotint rocker that is rocked
back and forth across the plate until the pattern is achieved.
The plate is inked, wiped and run through the press for
each print.
