Slide 1
A coating protects the plate
Etching begins with a metal plate covered in an acid-resistant ground. The artist draws by exposing selected parts of the metal.
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The needle only needs to remove the protective coating. Unlike an engraving tool, it does not have to cut the full printable groove directly into the plate.
Slide 2
Acid makes the recess
Acid acts on the exposed metal and creates recessed lines. The protected areas resist that action and remain relatively untouched.
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The process grew from techniques used to decorate armour. Its history connects artists' prints with an earlier craft of working images into metal objects.
Slide 3
The groove holds the ink
After the ground is removed, ink is worked into the etched lines. Wiping clears the plate's surface while leaving ink in its recesses.
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This makes etching an intaglio process. In relief printing, by contrast, the raised surface carries the ink; the two methods give different jobs to the parts removed.
Slide 4
Pressure transfers the image
Dampened paper is pressed against the inked plate. Pressure brings the sheet into contact with the ink held inside the lines.
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The resulting impression reverses the plate's design. Lettering therefore requires particular care if the artist wants it to read normally in the final print.
Slide 5
A line can stay lively
Drawing through a protective ground allows an artist to move with relative freedom. An etched line can retain a drawn, exploratory character.
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Printmakers can combine etching with other intaglio techniques on one plate. A museum's medium description may list several methods because the final image contains different kinds of mark.
Sources
- Etching materials and techniques
Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The printed image in the West: etching
Metropolitan Museum of Art