GLOSSARY of Printmaking Terms A Anastatic A relief-etching method, the opposite to the normal which is intaglio. The picture that is to be printed is painted or drawn with a pen directly on to the plate using an asphalt varnish; the result being that when the plate is put in an acid or mordant bath all the areas to be white or unprinted are etched away. William Blake used the manner for text and illustrations in his books. Aquatint An etching method that uses areas of tone rather than lines and cross-hatching. The plate is grounded with either powdered asphaltum or resin. The plate is then heated; this causes the powder to melt and separate into thousands of tiny specks. The control of tonal areas in between dips in the acid bath is done by brushing on stopping-out varnish. Artist's proof One of the proofs (or prints) in a limited edition of original prints. These would all be signed and bear a number such as, 7/32; this would mean it was the seventh pull of an edition of 32. B Baren A smooth, flat pad with a handle that is used for hand-proofing wood-blocks. Closely associated with the Japanese printmakers. Baxter print A method of printing using oil-colors developed by George Baxter (1804-67). Among his best works are, a copy of "The Descent from the Cross" by Rubens and "The Opening of the First Parliament of Queen Victoria", for the latter he was awarded the Austrian gold medal. Blind printing Placing damp paper over an un-inked plate or block to achieve an embossed image. Brayer A roller used to work up the ink and apply it to the block or plate. Made of hard rubber or a gelatin compound. C Chiaroscuro woodcut A monochrome relief-printing manner, that is built up by using a number of blocks with varying depths of tone with the same color ink. Developed largely by Ugi di Carpi (1450-I525) and experimented with by the Germans Lucas Cranach and Hans Baldung; it was Cranach's woodcutter Jost de Negker who did much to perfect the method. Clay-block A simple process which uses stiff clay that has been pressed into a shallow rectangular box. Line work is then scratched into the clay with a knifepoint or similar instrument. Counterproof An impression of an engraving or etching printed from a wet proof. This is done by placing a piece of damp printing-paper over the wet proof and passing both through the printing-press. It is a help for the artist to be able to see in the counterproof what the plate looks like and assists in spotting mistakes. Currier and Ives Prints Hand-colored lithographs published by Nathaniel Currier (I803~87) and James M. Ives (1824-95). Their subjects ranged over the contemporary American scene; sporting, sentimental, political, disasters, city life, railways and steamboats. D Dabber An instrument somewhat similar to a muller used for grinding pigments, only the bottom is a thick pad of wool covered with leather; the purpose of the dabber is to ground an etching plate. A second type is covered with a heavy woolen material and is used to force the ink into the intaglio lines during printing. Dry-point An intaglio-printing method related to engraving. It is worked on copper and zinc plates with the design being cut by a hard steel tool, called a dry-point, or a diamond-tipped stylus. The main characteristic is the slightly softer lines than those with an engraving. The reason for these is that the steel dry-point or diamond raises a slight burr, which retains some ink during the wiping of the plate (see Etching). Dust box A box with a fine gauze bottom that is partly filled with powdered asphaltum or resin, and then shaken to ground a plate to be used for an aquatint. Dutch mordant An alternative to nitric acid for biting a plate when etching. It is a solution of hydrochloric acid and potassium chlorate. Smillie's bath, that some prefer for aquatint, is a more concentrated version of the above. E Engraving The process of incising a design into a plate block which is then used to make an impression. It encompasses various methods, such as: Aquatint, Drypoint, Etching, Intaglio, Line Engraving, Mezzotint, Relief Print, Woodcut. Etching One of the favorite print-making methods for the artist. The word is derived from the Dutch etsen. The plate is generally copper or zinc; iron has been tried but is erratic and will only produce rather unsuccessful prints. The plate has to be first meticulously prepared; the surface must be without blemish. This is achieved by grinding and smoothing with fine abrasives such as emery, tripoli and crocus powders. Then the plate is heated and grounded with asphaltum or resin with the aid of a dabber. The artist now has to work his design, as with all printing methods except serigraphy, back-wards. Some use light guidelines of weak Chinese white, others sit with their back to the subject looking into a mirror; but most go straight in with the etching needle cutting through the ground to expose the metal. When the needling is finished the back of the plate is brushed over with acid- resistant stopping-out varnish. The plate is now cautiously lowered into the acid bath. A careful watch has to be kept that too great an accumulation of bubbles does not cause the acid biting to be erratic; to stop this the bubble groups are dispersed with the tip of a feather. After the bath the ground is removed with white spirit and for the first time the artist can see exactly what he has done, The plate is inked with a dabber, then the surface is wiped, first with retroussage, stiff canvas, next with muslin or cotton rags and lastly with a coup de main, the palm of the hand; the idea being to leave a subtle veil of ink on the surface. The printing is done with a strong press, the inked plate being laid on to a firm bed, damped paper is laid over the surface, backed with blotting-paper and thick wool blankets. It is then drawn through the rollers of the press; and the blankets and blotting-paper are removed, and the print is carefully lifted. With intaglio prints the inked lines are always slightly raised, a fact that can be picked up with a magnifying glass and a raking light. Outstanding masters of the method include Rembrandt, Goya and Whistler. Rembrandt is perhaps the supreme genius who could bring to this difficult medium an intense feeling with superbly controlled light and shade and great variety of velvet tones. F Fine Art Chiefly painting, sculpture and printmaking. Flatbed A simple term in printmaking to identify methods such as serigraphy and lithography that rely on neither relief nor on intaglio for image production. Flock print The surface of a woodblock is brushed with glue and then finely chopped textile material is dusted on to the glue. The resultant print is soft and tends towards indistinct outlines. Some artists experimented with the manner in south Germany during the latter part of the 15th century. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a rare example, 'Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St John'. G Giclee Prints In printmaking, the term applies to images generated from high resolution digital scans, printed with archival quality inks onto numerous substrates such as canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing method provides greater color accuracy than other means of replication. Glyphography An electrotype process by which it is possible to take a copy of an engraved plate which can be used for letterpress printing. H-J Intaglio Lines and areas that are sunk into the plate to take the ink as opposed to relief where the printing areas are left upstanding. Japanese prints A broad term for the Ukiyo-e woodblock prints made in Japan from about 1650 to 1868. Early examples were black outline blocks that were colored by hand, tan-e: vermilion and beni-e: a gentle rose red. Full color prints often using up to 30 blocks came into being in the middle of the 18th century, early examples being called benizuri-e and the later nishiki-e. The subtle tone and tint changes combined with transparent inks at times give an impression of watercolor. Masters of the later periods include Hokusai (1760-1849) and Hiroshige (1797-1858). Works were not only single prints but often diptychs, triptychs and polyptychs. K-L Linocut A relief method, the block being made from high-grade linoleum. Cutters are small gouges that are fitted into a handle in the same manner as nibs into a penholder. 'Knight, Death and the Devil' by Albrecht Durer, a line engraving carried out in 1513, is probably one of the greatest masterpieces in this method. Note his control of almost velvet-like tone areas. Lithography A flat-bed method which uses a stone or specially prepared zinc plate. The principle is the mutual repulsion of grease and water. The drawing is made either with a wax crayon or wax ink on the stone or plate. To print, the stone or plate is damped with water, which adheres to all areas not treated with the wax ink or crayon, and repels the oil-bound lithographic ink which is then rolled on and the print made. The method was developed by Aloysius Senefelder, a German (1771-1834) in 1798.