Etching

An etching is a plate, copper or zinc in my case, which has been etched with acid to create the design, and then inked in an intaglio fashion, pushing the ink into the lines and textures and wiping the surface clean. Two of the main forms of etching I use are line etching and aquatint. In line etching, the plate is covered with an acid-resistant ground and then scratched into to reveal the metal beneath. The acid eats away at the exposed part. With aquatint, the plate is covered with rosin dust or spray paint. When the plate is etched, the acid eats away around the particles of dust/paint to create grey tones or black areas.