View Of London From Tate Modern (Artist’s Proof)
A one-off, pressed Artist’s Proof of the Etching before the tone work is added.
PRINTMAKING: HANDMADE PRINTS:
Printmaking; (not to be confused with Giclee, commercial and affordable, digitally reproduced colour copies of an original painting) is a highly physical, time consuming and industrial process – hence the term, Handmade! Therefore, Each Handmade Print is an original so no 2 pressings from the same plate, no matter how hard one tries, is going to be identical to the other. They are pricier for a reason!
ETCHING – AN IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
THE INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING PROCESS:
The opposite of Relief Printing, Intaglio; (of which Etching/Aquatint&Mezzotint) are a part), is an image or design incised or engraved into a metal plate by the artist for the purpose of making handmade prints.
WHAT IS AN ETCHING?:
Etching is part of the Intaglio family and began in the 14th Century as a way of decorating metal, but was only used for printmaking from around the early 16th Century. An Etching is a Handmade Print from an etched metal plate; the artwork/design on the plate having been composed and engraved by the artist.
The plate is prepared with an acid resistant ground. Lines are drawn into the ground exposing the metal. The metal plate is then submerged in
acid that ‘bites’ into the drawn lines creating incisions. The acid resist is removed and ink is applied to the sunken lines; the excess ink is wiped from the surface of the plate which is then placed against paper and passed through a printing press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the incised lines.