During this class, we took a close look at woodcuts, engravings, etchings, and discussed the ways they are similar and different. Woodcuts were the first innovation among these, and initially they were often used to mimic illuminated manuscripts. A picture could be cut into the wood–a relief technique–and then colored. During the time of movable type, this wasn’t necessarily cheaper than real illuminated manuscripts, but it was certainly faster. As woodcuts developed into their own style, however, it became apparent that the medium had serious limitations.
Engraving is the next step after woodcuts–rather than putting a relief into a wooden block, the artist uses a burin to cut out lines in the plate. The image that results will be exactly the lines drawn into the copper or linoleum. Using the burin allowed the artist to control the width of a line, even within a single stroke, by means of putting more or less pressure on the tool. More pressure will create a deeper and wider line, while less pressure will make a shallower, more precise line. In order to effectively use the tool, however, one must have been trained to do so–it is an incredibly difficult process. Where the engraver wants to curve a line, they must turn the plate, rather than the tool, all the while maintaining the pressure necessary to make the line. This became the issue for engraving, its inaccessibility.
Etching, then, becomes the new medium of choice to imitate engravings. To etch something, one must coat a surface in a ‘ground’ varnish, scrape off the varnish where one wants a line with a sharp implement, then submerge the surface into acid. In the acid, everything unprotected by the varnish will be ‘eaten’ away by the acid–leaving a channel in which viscous ink can sit. More than engraving, etching can easily come across to the viewer as a hand-sketch with ink. The natural flow of the lines and the organic differences between each line separates etching from the uniformity and rigidity of engraving. Still, there is a limit–although cross hatching is now possible, there is no way to create large swaths of a solid color. The effect can be achieved, but only through many small lines.
Aquatint is the solution to blocks of color. By using sifted powder varnish, the artist can melt the powder onto the plate, submerge the plate into acid, and the powder and acid combination will create a well in which a controlled amount of ink can accumulate–creating an area of solid color or shading.