Intaglio

Intaglio printing refers to artistic techniques such as drypoint, aquatint, line etching, mezzotint, copperplate engraving, etc. The printing areas are the depressions.

Zinc, plastic, and copper plates can be cut and purchased in the studio in any size. A wide variety of tools for intaglio printing are available, from etching needles, mezzotint tools, and sandpaper to rosin for aquatint. Zinc and nitric acid are used predominantly. Etching of copper plates with ferric chloride is available upon request. A 76 × 56 cm basin is available for etching. A larger basin, measuring 50 × 100 cm, can be used upon request. Two etching presses with printing tables of 82 × 120 cm and 40 × 85 cm are available for printing.

Explanation

Intaglio printing is a printing process in which the printing areas are etched or engraved into a printing form. These depressions (pits) are filled with ink, while the raised areas remain ink-free. Excess ink is removed and polished away. The paper absorbs the ink from the depressions due to high pressure.

Technical procedure

1. Dry (mechanical) procedure

Copper and steel engraving

It is the oldest European artistic intaglio printing process; the earliest work, »The Flagellation of Christ«, dated 1446, is an anonymous work from the Upper Rhine region. The process of »carving out« (actually cutting) of the drawing, with and without intersecting hatching, with a burin into the smooth, polished surface of the copper plate (approx. 1–3 mm thick; high strength and elasticity = long print run stability), carried out with great precision and skill, is called copperplate engraving. A magnifying glass (or glasses) and a leather cushion are used for this purpose to securely hold and rotate the plate (for curves). Typical print features include the pointed start of the engraving, parallel (or, in masters, curved = with a waist) edges, and a slightly tapered, then sharp metal lift in the line. No bleeding (printing ink shadow) is visible.

Dry-point / Pointe sèche

It is the most commonly used technique today, as it requires minimal effort. The steel etching needle tears open the plate surface; depending on the depth and angle of the needle, the lines have one or two ridges, which, in addition to the indentation, hold the ink and transfer it to the paper. When wiping (cleaning the plate surface of adhering ink before printing), these ridges create the bleeding (edge ​​shading) of the lines typical of drypoint etching.

Scraping technique (Mezzotinto)

The art of mezzotint was first used by Ludwig von Siegen in 1642 for a portrait. The plate is roughened vertically and evenly in all directions using a sharp, quarter-circle scraper or knife (also known as a graining steel), so that it would print completely black. The light image is then modeled into it with varying tonal values ​​through differentiated smoothing with a triangular hollow scraper and burnishing steel. These processes are relatively strenuous and time-consuming, which is why mezzotint is rarely used in the past or present. Roughening is sometimes also achieved today using sandpaper printing, aquatint grain, or sandblasting. The visual appearance, however, is flatter and less uniform.

Stipple engraving (Crayon)

A technique from the first half of the 18th century in France, developed for drawings on solid etched grounds. Using various roulettes, molettes, or mattes, the surface of the printing plate is roughened to varying degrees, giving the printed image the appearance of a chalk (or pencil) drawing.

Punch and stipple engraving

A method, rarely used in the past, in which the flat, tonal design is formed from countless small dots of varying depth, struck into the plate surface with a needle, punch, and/or stippling hammer. Probably first used by J. Billeart as a complement to linear engraving, it was perfected as an independent technique by F. Bartolozzi (1764–1802).

Works with milling needles and engraving devices etc.

Since etching involves damaging the plate surface to absorb and transfer the ink (to the paper), the above-mentioned tools, as well as sandpaper, steel brushes, axes, etc., are suitable. All of the media used have their own expressive effects.

2. Wet (chemical) procedures

Line etching (Etching / Gravure à l´eau-forte)

The first dated line etching dates back to 1513 by Urs Graf (iron etching). This technique involves removing the acid-resistant etching ground in a linear fashion using an etching needle. An unheated needle can cause the ground to chip, resulting in jagged lines. The acid etches the printing depressions into the plate. After the first etching, the etching can be repeated, achieving different depths and thus different tonal values. In addition to the needle, the etching ground can be removed in a linear or pointwise manner using other methods.

Since its invention in 1768 by Jean Baptiste Le Prince, tone-on-tone etching has remained popular and been further developed to this day. In order to etch and print surfaces, raised areas must remain. This is achieved by dusting acid-resistant grain (e.g. rosin or asphalt) onto the surface and melting it. The white areas of the image are then covered and, once dry, etched. The next lighter tone is then covered and etched. This process is repeated until the blackest areas are etched deeper. This creates a plate with varying depths, which absorbs the ink around the remaining grain and holds it in place during the wiping process. The deeper areas absorb more ink and thus become darker. As with all etching techniques, corrections can be made by scraping and polishing, as well as reworking with etching needles, roulette wheels, etc. In the carborundum process, electro-corundum is mixed with titanium or zinc white and applied to the prepared metal plate with a bristle brush or paint spatula. The remaining exposed areas must be covered. During etching in an acid bath (without a brush!), the corundum sinks, »graining« the printed areas.

Photo etching (developed in 1879) uses full-format, reversed halftone film, which is copied onto gelatin paper, which is then glued onto the plate. The film is then developed and hardened, covered with asphalt varnish, and gradually etched to produce a printable plate. Similarly, a photocopy varnish plate can be directly exposed, hardened, developed, dusted, and etched into a positive (for halftone screening).

Reservage

Developed from the industrially widespread cloth printing process of the 18th century, this technique involves imprinting the plate with a grain of dust, just as it is used for aquatint. Then, a saturated sugar solution with added watercolor (also gum arabic with glycerin or tempera) can be drawn on. As it dries, this solution can bubble and contract in various ways, creating painterly effects.

Vernis mou / Softground etching

A sheet of thin paper is placed on the plate, which has been coated with a soft ground (sticky asphalt) under heat, and a drawing is made. The ground adheres to the paper. The exposed areas are then etched into the depth and printed. This work has the character of a pencil drawing.

Brush etching (open etching)

In this process, the highly concentrated acid is used to »draw« directly on the plate and a brush. This process should be repeated several times. This creates painterly effects with halftones. Since the resulting fumes are highly harmful to health, a gas mask and protective gloves must be worn when working with the plate.

3. Preparing and printing of the plates

To ensure a successful print run without cutting the printing paper or felt, the edges and corners are beveled (slightly rounded) with a fine file to create a plate edge approximately 45° beveled. These edges are then smoothed with a triangular scraper, whetstone or paper, or burnishing steel to prevent them from holding or transferring ink. In most cases (with metal plates), the surface must also be smoothed/polished with steel wool, burnishing steel, and polishing compound. For etching, the plate is then degreased, and—except for brush etching—the reverse side must always be protected/covered from acid exposure.

After the final etching of the plate, the asphalt varnish and molten grain must be removed from both sides, e.g., with turpentine or nitrocellulose thinner. The plate is then inked with copperplate ink using a roller and/or pad, gauze, brushes, or leather or rubber strips. Metal plates are best inked and printed while warm, as the ink is more supple. The plates are wiped out (removing unnecessary ink from the surface) while cold using gauze and then by hand or with smooth, thin paper. The plate tone can finally be removed with a little chalk. The plate is then placed on the printing table (carriage or slide), the moistened and well-swollen copperplate paper is positioned on it, the printing felts are carefully placed over it, and the plate is pulled through the press under high pressure using the top roller. The plate is carefully peeled off and placed in moisture-absorbing cardboard for about 3–4 days to dry.

History

Etching – the Intaglio art of the great masters

The great copper engraver Albrecht Dürer had already produced several masterpieces of etching. With the development of a suitable etching ground, the line etching technique was perfected. No less a figure than Rembrandt, as the »magician of the art of etching«, brought this discipline to perfection. New techniques evolved, such as aquatint etching, which reached its peak with Goya. To this day, these techniques of the great masters have lost none of their fascination. Anyone who has once mastered the high art of the various etching techniques remains captivated by them. »Art is inherent in nature, and whoever can tear it out has it«, wrote Albrecht Dürer in his »Theory of Proportions« of 1528. In Dürer’s time, »tearing out« meant not only drawing, but also scratching. The Latin »radere« means »to scratch, scrape, scrape out, clean«. Since then, etching has been synonymous with scratching a drawing (inverted!) into a plastic or metal plate, as well as into the primer of a polished copper or zinc plate to be etched.

Signing of prints

according to the »rules« by Lothar Lang, Der Graphiksammler, Berlin 1979

On the left side under the print, prints before the edition are marked with Roman numerals, possibly also as a proof = E.E., or as a proof for the artist (number = 10% of the edition size) = e.a./E.A. = Épreuves d’artiste = A.P., or outside the sale = h.c. = hors commerce; the edition, if the printing sequence is known, is marked as a fraction, with the serial number in the numerator and the edition number in the denominator. (Otherwise always 1–number of print run).

On the right is the signature and the date of creation, in the center a possible title and/or cycle. Sometimes the technique is also noted here.