Aquatint is a printmaking technique, closely related to etching, that produces broad areas of tone rather than line, achieved by dusting a metal plate with a fine, acid-resistant powdered resin, which is fused to the plate with heat and then bitten by acid around each individual grain, creating a densely pitted surface that holds ink evenly across an area rather than along a single incised line. By masking parts of the plate with acid-resistant varnish at different stages and controlling how long each area is exposed to the acid bath, a printmaker can build up a wide range of tonal values, from pale gray to near-black, approximating the effect of a wash drawing or watercolor. The technique was developed in France in the mid-eighteenth century and used to particularly dramatic effect by Francisco Goya, whose print series Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War rely on aquatint's tonal range for their somber, atmospheric effects.
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Etching and aquatint are commonly combined to add tonal areas around etched line work, as in Goya's print series.
Francisco Goya, Artists Goya was a defining master of the aquatint process, most famously in Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War.
Los Caprichos, Works Los Caprichos is one of Goya's defining aquatint print series.
Mezzotint and aquatint are both intaglio processes built to render continuous tone rather than line.
The Disasters of War combines etching and aquatint.
Sources
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationAquatint, Wikipedia summary leadQuote, Aquatint, Wikipedia summary lead
Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does aquatint differ from etching?
Aquatint and etching are closely related acid-based printmaking techniques, but they produce different marks. Etching bites a metal plate along fine lines drawn through a wax ground, producing linear marks. Aquatint instead dusts the plate with a fine, acid-resistant powdered resin that is fused to it with heat, so the acid bites around each grain and creates a densely pitted surface that holds ink evenly across an area, producing broad tones rather than lines. Printmakers often combine the two techniques on the same plate, using etched lines for detail and aquatint for tonal areas.
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