MEZZOTINT

Blencathra from Castlerigg

Mezzotint

200mm x 300mm

Edition of 20

Mezzotint is an elaborate form of engraving on copper that produces a tonal print. The term mezzotint (from the Italian mezza tinta meaning halftone) derives from the capability of the process to produce soft, subtle gradations of tone. Among intaglio processes it is unique in that a completely black ground is engraved first and the image is then worked from dark to light.

Although the process of mezzotint was invented in Holland by the German born Ludwig von Siegen during the 17th century, it was soon practiced enthusiastically and almost exclusively in England. Brought to Britain by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a nephew of Charles 1, who was a great exponent of the art (when not fighting Cromwell's Roundheads). The technique is laborious and in the 18th and 19th centuries it was known as the English style, as only an Englishman would have the patience to practice such painstaking work. It's rich blacks, subtle gradations of tone, and adaptability to make colour prints made it ideal for the reproduction of paintings. During the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, mezzotints were the only means most people had of becoming acquainted with the paintings of major artists. 

With the advent of photography, the technique almost disappeared. It was revived in America at the beginning of the 20th century as a purely fine art process. However,  it still remains a rare technique with only a handful of artists in the UK working exclusively in mezzotints.

A curved serrated tool, called a rocker, is used to engrave a ground into a copper plate. A fine line of dots is engraved into the plate as well as a burr of copper being thrown up proud of the plate surface. Working in 24 directions the whole plate is covered, it is literally rocked around the clock, so that an even, uniform texture is created. It is the depth of the dots and the height of the burrs that will hold ink, producing a beautiful deep velvet black tone. A 20 x 30cm plate takes around 30 hours to prepare before work can begin on the image. Once the ground is prepared, using a variety of sharp blades, scrapers and burnishers, the plate is selectively scraped and burnished back working from light to dark so that a tonal design is produced. The deeper the indented areas remain, the darker it will print. Where the plate is polished smooth, no ink will adhere and so will remain as highlights.

Once the image has been completed the plate is ready for printing. The paper is soaked and the plate covered in warm ink which is then wiped away from the surface. Care has to be taken when doing this as it is easy to over wipe the plate and remove too much of the ink. Once satisfied, the more polished areas of the plate are wiped with soft tissue paper or the flat of the hand or fingers to bring up the highlights. The plate is put on the bed of the press and the soaked paper blotted to remove excess water, before being placed over the plate. This is then covered with three layers of blankets and the whole sandwich of plate, paper and blankets run through the rollers of the press.

The process is repeated for each print in the edition. Although every effort is taken to make all the impressions as uniform as possible, there will be small variations, this is after all a hand crafted process. The number of impressions in the edition is dictated by the limitations of the process, because of the fragility of the fine copper burrs very few prints can be produced. An edition of 30 is doing well.