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Mezzotint
In this
unique intaglio technique which is also called manière noire,
or the black method, the plate is worked in reverse;
from dark tones to light. The surface is first roughened with a
mezzotint rocker so that, if inked, it would print a rich,
solid black.
The
areas that are not to print are then burnished and flattened to
produce various grays and white. The outstanding qualities of the
mezzotint process is to produce the most subtle nuances of tone
and value from rich, velvety blacks to glowing highlights.
Because of these features, mezzotint was originally used
primarily for reproducing other works of art. Although the origin
of the mezzotint is not entirely known, in 18th- and 19th century
England the process reached a zenith of technical perfection and
popularity.
Tidbit:
The term “off the rocker” derives from this process; often
children were employed to rock plates and the mindless,
repetitive process drove some of them crazy.
To achieve
maximum amount of color, Beth Kassay created three mezzotint
plates with each containing part of the image. The first will be
printed in yellow, the second in red, and the third in blue. For
her demonstration, she will ink each plate and print it in
perfect registration.
Beth begins
by laying out her three different color inks. At New Grounds, we
use
Akua Kolor water-based intaglio inks.
To
completely cover the plates with ink, Beth rolls the ink on the
printing surface with a brayer.
The plates
are now ready to be wiped. The objective is to remove all the ink
from the top layer of the plate and leave only the ink in the
recessed areas behind. If she removes too much ink the image will
be “over-wiped” and look grainy. If she does not remove enough
ink the image will be too dark or “under-wiped.”
She finishes
the plates by carefully wiping the edges.
Beth is now
ready to print the first plate. Here she places the yellow plate
on her registration sheet. The paper is then placed on top of the
plate and she transfers the information on the plate to paper
using the etching press. The etching press exerts between 500 and
2000 pounds of pressure and thus literally squeezes the ink into
the dampened paper.
I  
Now that
Beth has printed the first color, she removes the printing
blankets and “locks” the paper into position with a weight. This
enables her to retain the exact position of the paper while she
exchanges the yellow plate with the red plate.
Beth can now
prints the red plate and finally the blue one (not shown) to pull
the final print. Applause!!!!
Photography by Bruce Childs at
our March 2009 reception.
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