|
These as some of the more common print techniques associated with the production of antique prints:
Aquatint
Possibly the most complicated and time consuming
of the print making techniques.
The aqua of the name is slightly misleading, in that it does
not refer to water but probably
to aquafortis which is nitric acid, for the prints are acid-etched
and not as they
are sometimes referred to as 'aquatint engravings'. The introduction
of this technique
was an attempt to emulate the soft tones of a watercolour, for which
they are sometimes mistaken.
Technique
Introduced to Britain by P.P. Burdett
in 1771 aquatints were initially used to produce naval,
military and sporting
subjects. A copper plate is covered with a powdered resin which is
fused by heat,
the plate is then immersed in acid which is repelled by the resin
but which bites the spaces
in between forming a granular texture. In 'biting' the plate the light
areas were treated first and then
the plate was removed from the acid bath, washed in water and the area
required to
remain light (i.e. the sky) was stopped out with acid resistant varnish.
The aquatinter worked from light to dark, the final biting being the
darkest areas of the print.
The tonal quality was revealed at the printing stage, with the lightly
bitten
areas carrying small amounts of ink,while the deeply bitten areas
carried larger ink deposits and printed darker.
The printing commenced with the cleaning of the plate, which was then
inked with a roller.
The surplus ink was removed leaving the remaining ink in the acid
cut line or groove, a piece of lightly
dampened paper was placed on the plate and then both were fed through
a hand operated roller and
the ink was absorbed onto the paper.
This magnified image of an aquatint
illustrates the finished 'granular' texture.
Engraving
The Latin term intaligo which
means incise applies to the printing techniques which result
in the
image being created below the surface of the plate.
The material used for forming plates up to
the early 19th century was copper sheet, this diminished after the
the invention of the
more economic mild steel. So to engrave literally means to incise
furrows or grooves on a
copper or steel plate with the use of a graver or burin.
The Technique
The engraver worked with
the lozenge shaped tool called a graver or burin,
rotating the plate as he worked. The lines were incised into the plate
with varying widths
and depths by altering the angle at which the tool met the plate and
the amount
of pressure exerted on the handle.
Differing tones were achieved by changing the
space between the lines, closer together gave a darker area. Cross
hatching also
produced tonal and textural effects as well as providing a more three
dimensional image.
Etching
The Latin term intaligo which means incise applies to the printing
techniques which result in the
image being created below the surface of the plate.
The material used for forming plates up to
the early 19th century was copper sheet, this diminished after the
the invention of the
more economic mild steel.
The Technique
The Etcher prepared the plate by covering
it with a wax based 'ground'
and the image was drawn in the wax using an
etching needle,this technique allowed the artist to produce
a much more free and expressive image. The edges and underside of
the plate were
sealed with varnish for protection and the plate was them immersed
in nitric acid. The acid would bite into
the plate where it was exposed by the needle producing an incised
image on the metal.
After the plate was bitten to the satisfaction of
the etcher, it was removed from the acid bath and
washed in hot water to remove all traces acid and the
remaining wax. An ink charged 'dabber' was
then used to work the ink into the incised areas of the plate which
was then wiped to remove any
surface ink. A piece of paper was then laid on
top of the plate and then passed through a
press allowing the ink to be absorbed by the paper and produce the
printed image.
Mezzotint
Developed in Germany, this technique was introduced to Britain by Prince Rupert (1619-82). First practiced by Luwig von Siegen, he instructed the Prince regarding this new method and the first dated British example was by William Sherwin in 1669 and was a portrait of Charles II.
The British engravers excelled at mezzo tinting, producing both portraits and landscapes. Mezzotints displayed a tonal quality which was not possible until the introduction of aquatints in the late eighteenth century. Until circa 1820 and the invention of mild steel, prints were usually prepared on copper plates which due to its soft nature, limited the size of editions.
The Technique
The first step in the process was to 'ground' the plate and for this, the engraver used a tool called a 'rocker'. With it he traversed the plate, working at first horizontally across the surface, then vertically and finally diagonally. The sharp file-like teeth of the rocker scored the surface of the plate producing a rough finish similar to that of coarse sandpaper.
Work with the rocker was far from popular and proved to be tedious and time consuming, the task usually fell to a senior apprentice or journeyman. From this we derive the well known phrase 'off his rocker', probably an indication of the stress induced by this initial preparation.
The plate was then passed to the engraver who commenced scraping up the highlights, working from dark to light with a sharp scalpel-like tool. This 'scraping' demanded a great degree of skill , the more an area was scraped, the smoother it became, thus reducing its capacity to retain ink at the printing stage. The light areas on a portrait, especially the skin tones were treated in this manner and would print white, due to an absence of ink. This ability to depict light and shade by scraping, resulted in the tonal excellence and almost photographic quality of many of the fine portraits mezzotints of the 18th and 19th century.
Stipple print
The introduction of this method is attributed to the engraver William Wynne Ryland (1732-83). He prepared many of his early prints using a narrow 'roulette wheel' for much of the detail and may have worked with this through a wax ground on a copper plate.
The Technique
The stipple process is an adaptation of etching and the plate was prepared with a wax ground in the same manner as for an etching. The dotted detail was pricked through the wax using an etching needle and bitten by immersion in acid. It was the practice to re-enter or deepen the dots with engraving tools, including the punch and graver.
This method was largely popularised in Britain by Francesco Bartolozzi RA (1725-1815). Many examples were printed in colour by applying coloured inks directly by hand to the plate which was cleaned off and re-inked after each impression.
Lithograph
Discovered by Alois Senefelder (1771-1834) in the late 18th century this technique revolutionised the printing industry. Lithography is a planographic system, that is, the image is on the surface of the medium (limestone), with little pressure ('a kiss') being required to make a print. For this reason there is no plate mark associated with a lithograph, only four in hole where the paper was secured during the printing process.
The Technique
The process relies upon the principle that oil and water do not mix. The artist worked on a specially surfaced slab of limestone drawing the image with a greasy pencil. On completion of the drawing was treated with a solution of diluted acid which was repelled by the greasy drawing but bit into the surrounding stone. The stone was then soaked with water and printing ink applied by roller. The ink from the roller would not adhere to wet limestone but was attracted to the grease of the drawing. Providing the stone was kept moist and the design regularly inked, almost unlimited copies could be made.
The image was obtained by placing the paper on top of the prepared drawing and then placing in a press. One of the best known proponents of this technique was James Duffield Harding (1798-1863) who produced many topographical views and animal studies.
Can't find what you want? Click here to complete a request form.
The Home of Antique Prints for Sale Online |
Site Map | Print Making Techniques | FAQ's | Delivery | Terms
| Links | Front | Valuations |
| Privacy | Antique Lithograhs | Antique Aquatints | Antique Engravings | Antique Etchings | Mezzotint Prints | Stipple Prints | Antique Animal Prints | Antique Archiectural Prints | Antique Horse Prints | 18th Century Prints | Spy Prints and Vanity Fair Prints | Antique Nautical Marine Pints | Antique Golf Prints | Antique Landscape - Topographical Prints | Antique Military Prints |
