ENGRAVING

This technique involves the engraving of lines in a copperplate with a burin. Printing ink is rubbed into these lines; the surface of the copperplate has to been cleaned. Printing is done with a plate printing press, consisting of two steel or wooden rollers. The impression shows the impression or plateline of the copperplate in the paper. Developed by juwelers in the 15th. century, this technique quickly gained a reputation for fine prints. German engravers like Pencz, Beham, Graf, and Schongauer from the early 16th. century reached a high grade of quality in their prints. Antwerp saw a large group of engravers like the Sadelers, Wierix, Collaert and Galle producing an enormous group of prints from 1550 onwards.

In the Low Countries, Hendrick Goltzius engraved famous and highly accomplished prints; others include de De Passe family and artists like Suyderhoef, De Visscher and Jacques de Gheyn II.

Book- and printpublishers preferred engravings, because of long lasting printing quality. A halftone engraving technique is the stipple engraving. This involves the hammering of the copperplate with different stamps in order to create halftones. Already in use in Italy in the 16th. century and in The Netherlands in the 17th. century, the main production in this technique was in the last quarter of the 18th. century in England and France.

ETCHING

This technique involves the use of etching acid. It originated in the armour industry, where it was used to decorate breast plates. The first etchings were indeed made on iron. Usually, though, a copperplate is covered with an acid free layer called the etching ground. This is made of resin, wax and asphalt. By drawing in this layer with an etching needle, the copper beneath the etching ground is exposed. When the entire drawing is finished, the plate is exposed to ferrous chloride or sulfuric acid. Where the copper is reached by these chemicals (basically everywhere where the ground was drawn in), it bites down into the copper and creates a printable line. This method extends an artists’ options for an making direct drawings and thus gain more authenticity in his work.

Great etchings were made by Rembrandt van Rijn, Adriaen van Ostade, Anthonie Waterloo, Jacob van Ruysdael and many others. Combinations of etching and engraving are found regularly and are called “taille-douce”.

Drypoint etching involves directly drawing on a copper plate with an etching needle. This scratchy way of working provides burr to the scratched lines, which print velvety and provide halftone effects.

MEZZOTINT

Directly related to this technique is the mezzotint. This medium was invented around 1642 by Ludwig von Siegen (1609-after 1676). A copperplate is worked with a rocker as to create a surface of burr. This will print velvetly black. With the use of a scraper all grades of dark and light areas can be made. Several famous Dutch artists like Wallerant Vaillant, Cornelis Dusart and Abraham Blooteling made early mezzotints. Especially the English market in the 18th. century would produce very nice and large mezzotints.

AQUATINT

Many graphic techniques evolved from the desire to have prints look more like drawings. Among them is the aquatint technique. This involves the applying of ground resin to the plate and melting it to the surface. By exposing it to acid it turns into a tonal surface, which lookes like a washed drawing, hence the french nam “maniere lavis”. Although already invented in the 17th. century by Jan van de Velde IV, it’s main use was in France from 1750 on by artists like Jean Baptisite le Prince and Richard de Saint Non. There are several ways of preparing an aquatint.

VERNIS-MOU

A technique related to aquatint is the vernis-mou or soft-ground etching technique. An etching ground which remains soft is applied to the copperplate. By putting a piece of paper on top and directly drawing on it, the drawing is essentially made on the plate. After biting, the result looks very much like a drawing.

MANIERE CRAYON

This method was invented to make reproductions after drawings in chalk. A copperplate with a thin layer of etching ground is worked with a roulette to make lines consisting of dots, to imitate a chalk line. Very good results were produced in France in the 18th. century with this technique.

In the Netherlands, people like C. Ploos van Amstel also applied this method, often in combination with other techniques like the use of sandpaper. The goal was to reproduce drawings as accurately as possible; these prints are therefore called printdrawings.