Glossary of etching terms
Etching: A technique that uses a metal plate often made of copper or zinc. The plate is first coated with
an acid-resistant substance called a ground through which the design is drawn with a sharp tool,
exposing the metal beneath. The acid eats the plate through the exposed lines; the more time the plate
is left in the acid, the thicker and deeper the lines. In brief, the plate is then inked and the exposed
surface rubbed clean. The ink in the lines is transferred to paper when passed under a press.
Aquatint: A technique that exposes a metal plate to acid through one or more layers of resin or sugar.
The acid bites the plate in the spaces between the resin particles, achieving a finely and evenly pitted
surface with broad areas of tone. When the grains of resin are washed off, the plate is inked and
printed. Finished prints often possess a grainy quality akin to watercolours and can achieve a wide
range of tones. Aquatint techniques are generally used in combination with etching or engraving to
achieve linear definition.
Soft-ground Etching: This technique produces facsimiles of chalk or pencil drawings. The printmaker
draws on a piece of soft paper laid on a plate covered with a soft ground; when the paper is pulled away
it removes the ground in the marked areas. Textures of different materials can also be impressed into a
soft-ground coated plate.
Sugar lift etching: A sugar lift is a way of creating painterly marks on an etching plate using a sugar
solution and a paint brush. The areas you paint are a positive mark. It is a form of aquatint etching.
Photo etching: Traditional photo-etching involves applying a photo-sensitive emulsion to the etching
plate. Once exposed and developed the emulsion will only be left on the plate in areas that we don't
want to etch. The emulsion itself is resistant to acid and so will allow the plate to be etched and printed
in the same way as a traditional etching.
Leicester Print Workshop, 50 St Stephens Road, Highfields, Leicester, LE2 1GG.
T: 0116 255 3634 E: [email protected] W: www.leicesterprintworkshop.com
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