The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-03
THE MEZZoTINT PROCESS.
Something of the Style of Engraving Now
Most in Favor.
Harper's Magazine.

Harper's Magazine.
The principle on which the process of mezzo-
tint is founded, and the process itself may be
thus described: A plate of bright copper or steel
is rocked backward and forward and in all di-
rections by tool having sharp serrated edge
till its whole surface is indented and torn up. A
sort OF warp and woop pattern IS thus produced
upon it, while pile like that of velvet is thrown
up and evenly distributed over its whole surface.
This pile, if charged with printers ink, would
print black; the pile removed by ''scraper" and
the warf and wool pattern laid bare, the plate
would print gray; the warp and wool pattern
itself removed, white, because the plain surface
OF the plate would again be reached. If, how
ever, instead of removing the whole
of the pile, only half Of it be removed a tint is
obtained half way between black and gray-a
meZzotint. The art, therefore, of the mezzotint
engraver consists in scraping away the metallic
pile and in removing so mueh of the warp and
wool pattern beneath it as he may find necessary
to obtain the exact tints or tones he requires,
and his skill lies in the precise value which he is
able to give to each of these tones and tints.
The instruments necessary to the purpose are
three-a rocker or cradle with which TO lay the
ground; sharp knife or seraper with which to
cut away the pile, and burnsher with which to
remove partially or entirely the warp and wool
pattern below it. There is, however, no hard
and fast rule as to the exact fashion of these in
struments, or even as to the method of using
them, the earliest mezzotjnterS having had re-
course to variety of methods for laying the
grounds. linus CLAUDE, VINO IKE rembrandt,
seems to have heard of the process and tried it
on one of his etched plates, rubbed it's surface
with pumice stone and then FURNISHED away the
tint produced by it, Everdingen used
a process which the nature of his work does not
render very obvious; Rembrandt employed the
etching needle itself in such way as to throw
up with its point as much of the pile or burr"
as he required; Siegen had method of his own,
which produced an effort not unlike ''stipple"
mode of engraving previously in usel; Rupert,
whose work is singularly fine and painter-like,
was contented to ground this plate as he went
on, and in the degree necessary to each part of
it, by the action Of the BURN or dry point with
which he was actually working, his principle
being not unlike that of Rembrandt. Turner
obtained his color sometimes by the roulette, as
in the etching of ''Kirkstall Abbey" and some
times, as in 1.-THE Calm" by a granulated sub
stratum analogous to the warp and wool pat
tern, produced by what is called soft ground
etching" Others again used special tools to OBJ
tanned the effect of different tissues-a rocker
with plain chisel-like edge, for instance for
silken materials, a tool with serrated edge for
grosser textures and SO Altogether, there
fore, it will be seen that in the hands of a man
of genius the modus operandi of mezzotint ad-
mits of considerable variety, while this very lat
itude of procedure renders it again peculiarly
painters art