AQUATINTA Engraving, so called from its near resemblance to water-colour drawings, is of modern invention, and was much practised about 12 or 15 years ago, since which period it has not been so much in fashion.

It is performed in a variety of ways; but the most approved is by covering or immersing the copper-plate in a solution of resinous matter, rendered so in rectified spirits of wine, and by working or drawing the object which is wished to be represented, upon the plate, with a prepared pigment, commonly called the bursting ground. These solutions and grounds are made of a variety of substances, described in recipes at the end of this article.

The work is generally commenced by etching, or tracing the outline upon the plate with an etching needle or other sharp instrument, which being done, and the etching ground removed, the plate must be made particularly clean and free from grease, with whitening and water. The plate is then to be placed in a flat tin or earthen vessel, in an inclined position, and the resinous solution or ground (No. 1, &c.) poured quickly upon it from the top to the bottom, so that the superfluous ground may run off, and be preserved for after-use in a vessel so placed as to receive it. Should the subject to be engraved be a landscape, it will be advisable to allow the ground upon the plate to dry in the inclined position, because the granulation of the shade or tint has a tendency to be closer and finer in proportion as it is nearer the top of the plate; and in this way the sky is represented by the finest grain at the top, and the foreground by the coarsest at the bottom of the plate. Should the subject require an equality of tint or grain, it will be procured by reversing the inclined position of the plate backwards and forwards as quickly as possible after the ground has been poured on it. The spirit of wine will very speedily evaporate, leaving the plate dry, with the ground upon it ready for work; but in order to render it more secure, it may be held over a clear fire, with the back of the plate next the coals until the resin of the ground is a little heated, and so fixed to the plate more completely. Care must, however, be taken, in this operation, not to melt the resinous granulations so much as to cause them to unite into solid masses.

The design is now to be drawn upon the plate with the bursting ground (No. 10, &c.), exactly in the same manner as any water-colour drawing is set about: every part where a tint is required is to be covered over with the bursting ground, and the lights alone left untouched with it. When this composition is quite dry, take a broad camel»
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hair pencil, such as is used for painting skies, and go over ;the whole surface of the plate with the varnish (No. 13). The plate is now to be surrounded with a border of wax (14), so as to retain the aqua fortis. When the varnish is dry, as much clean water must be poured upon the copper as can be contained within the border wax, and in about 15 minutes the bursting ground will burst open the varnish, and leave the aquatinta ground ready for being bit in with the diluted acid. The bursting away of the bursting ground may be aided with the help of a clean camel-hair pencil or goose-qui∏ feather; but if the composition be properly made this will not be necessary. The plate may now be said to be ready for the first tint being bit in with the aqua fortis, which must be allowed to remain upon it until the shade is seen to be of a proper colour, when the acid must be poured off, and the plate cleaned with water, to prepare it for the second tint; which is to be accomplished in the same manner as described for the first; and thus the greatest softness of shade, and the utmost sharpness of touch in the foreground or sky, may be attained. A pair of bellows may be used to dry the plate more quickly between the bitings with the aqua fortis, and so prevent the copper from becoming corroded by the water. From the description above given, it will be obvious that in some cases the bursting ground will not be required, and that the lights alone will need to be stopped out with the varnish ;—such as in fleecy white clouds, the high lights upon metallic substances, &c.; all which practice will soon suggest to the artist.

Before we proceed to describe some other modes of performing this operation, we may remark, that when very fine grounds are required, it is customary only to bite in the lightest shades with the first granulation, and then to clean the plate and lay on a second, or even a third and fourth ground, at various stages of the work. But it must be held in mind, that in proportion as. the grounds are multiplied, the granulations are subdivided, and their rich grain lost; while at the same time the work is rendered less serviceable, by its casting off a smaller number of impressions.

Should the bursting ground not flow on the plate freely, out of the camel-hair pencil, in consequence of the plate being greasy, it may be washed with very weak aqua fortis before commencing. If the weather should be very cold, it is difficult to obtain a good ground; on which account it will be advisable to heat the apartment with a stove to a moderate summer heat.

Dust Grounds are prepared by covering the plate with powders of various mixtures, and fixing them by holding it over a clear fire; and the operation o: biting in the subject with the aqua fortis, and the painting of the objects upon the plate, may be performed in the manner above described, and either with or without the bursting grounds. The powders may be applied to the surface of the copper in a variety of ways. As good a mode as any is to cover over the top of a small box with one or two layers of muslin, and dust the powder through these layers of muslin equally upon it. For this purpose the plate will require to be a little greasy, that the powder may adhere the more readily; and when the whole surface is covered, give the plate a sharp stroke upon the back, that the superfluous particles may be disengaged.

Madame Prestel’s ground, celebrated for its fineness, is produced in the following manner: The plate is placed with its face upwards in a box, about six inches deep, covered with a lid: at one end introduce through a ein ular hole the small end of a hair-dresser’s powder machine, filled with finely pulverized resin, and work it till the plate is completely covered with the powder, which fix over a clear fire, as already described.

Spirit Grounds.

No. 1. Resin Ground. — One quart of double rectified spirits of wine, and ten ounces of common resin: when dissolved, a variety of granulations will be obtained by adding spirits of wine to this solution.

No. 2. Burgundy pitch ground. — One quart of spirits of wine and ten ounces of Burgundy pitch: the coarseness or fineness of this, as well as the former ground, is influenced by the greater or less quantity of spirits in which the pitch is dissolved.

No. 3. Mastic ground. — Four ounces of gum mastic to one pint of spirits of wine: this, if made a month before being used, will be found to be a good ground.

No. 4. Animi ground. — Eight ounces of gum animi to one .quart of spirits of wine.

No. 5. Franhincense ground. — Twelve ounces of gum frankincense to one quart of spirits of wine.

No. 6. Turpentine varnish ground. — One fourth of a pint of turpentine varnish to three fourths spirits of wine makes a curious granulated ground.

. All these compositions may be mixed one with another, or even two or three may be combined; and the results, interesting in consequence of the variety of granulations which will be produced, and, as mentioned before', the coarseness and fineness, will vary in proportion to the quantity of spirits which are used.

ι Dust Grounds.

No. 7. Equal parts of asphaltum and fine transparent resin, finely powdered separately, and afterwards con, pletely mixed together.

No. 8. Gum sandarach finely powdered.

No. 9. Transparent resin finely powdered. These powders may be so pulverized as to produce fineness or coarseness of granulation.

Bursting Grounds.

No, 10. Half a pound of treacle, half an ounce of isir glass, and eight ounces of gum arabic, in no more water than will just dissolve them. This should be set by for a week, shaking it up twice a day: when used, a little must be , poured into a cup, and as much lamp black, burnt cork, or terra de sienna, ground as finely as possible, added to it as will give it both body and colour. Should it be∣ too stiff to work, add a little water.

No. 11. Half a pound of treacle, four ounces of white 1 sugarcandy, and one ounce of gum arabic, dissolved in a little water, at least a week before using.

No. 12. Half a pound of West Indian white sugar, an ounce and a half of isinglass, and one ounce of gum dragon,. dissolved in as much malt liquor of any kind as will make them liquid; set them on the fire until all are well melted, and, when cool, the composition may be used immediately. These two last recipes may be coloured with the same substances as No. 10.

No. 13. The varnish used for covering over these bursting grounds is common turpentine varnish, thinned down with turpentine to the proper consistency required.

No. 14. Border-wax is composed of equal parts of shoemaker’s resin and bees-wax.

. The preceding is the method for prints of one single tint. But if different colours are to be expressed, there will be required as many different plates, each plate having only tĥe part etched upon it which is designed to be charged with its proper colour; unless (as may happen in particular subjects) some of the colours are so distant from each other as to allow the printer room to fill them in with his rubber without blending them; in which case [7:3:317]two or more different colours may be printed from the same plate at once. Where different plates are necessary, a separate one, having a pin in each corner, must be provided as a sole or button to the aquatinta plates; and these a σ ain must be exactly fitted, having each a small hole in their corners for passing over the pins of the sole; the said pins serving the double purpose of retaining the plates successively in their due position, and of directing the printer in placing the paper exactly on each plate so as not to shift; by which means each tint or colour will be exactly received on its proper place. A landscape or similar subject, however, may be printed off at once in the different proper colours, by painting these upon the plate. In this case the colours must be pretty thick in their consistence; and the plate must be carefully wiped in the usual way after the laying on of each tint, as well as receive a general wipe upon its being charged with all the tints. For more particular information upon this art, see the third edition of Green’s Complete Aquatinta. Lond. 1810.