Etching is a printmaking technique in which a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, is coated with an acid-resistant wax ground, and the artist draws through the ground with a fine needle to expose the bare metal beneath, following the drawn line. The plate is then submerged in acid, which bites into the metal only where the ground has been scratched away, and after the ground is cleaned off, the resulting incised lines hold ink for printing in the same manner as an engraved plate. Because drawing through a soft wax ground with a needle is far closer to the freedom of pen and paper than cutting directly into metal with a burin, etching allowed a looser, more spontaneous line, and the technique was mastered above all by Rembrandt van Rijn, whose etchings remain among the medium's most celebrated works, and later by printmakers including Francisco Goya and James McNeill Whistler.
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Etching and aquatint are commonly combined to add tonal areas around etched line work, as in Goya's print series.
Etching and drypoint are both intaglio processes, often combined on the same plate to add fine burr-rich detail.
Etching developed as a freer, faster alternative to engraving for working an intaglio plate.
Francisco Goya, Artists Goya used etching, often combined with aquatint, throughout his print series.
Rembrandt, Artists Rembrandt is one of the most celebrated etchers in Western art history.
Sources
Wikipedia
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Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types of material.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between etching and engraving?
Etching and engraving are both intaglio printmaking techniques that transfer ink held in incised lines on a metal plate, but they cut those lines differently. In etching, the printmaker draws through an acid-resistant wax ground with a needle and lets acid bite the exposed metal to form the lines. In engraving, the printmaker incises the lines directly into the metal plate by hand, using a sharp steel tool called a burin, with no acid involved. Because etching lets the acid do the cutting, it generally produces a freer, more drawing-like line, while engraving's hand-cut line tends to be more controlled and precise.
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