How can a print show a soft gray shadow rather than only hard black lines? Mezzotint begins with a copper plate made rough all over. The tiny indentations hold ink, so a fully prepared plate prints as an almost entirely black image. Its name comes from Italian for “half-painted.” section 8.2
The image is made by taking ink away from selected places. A rocker roughens the plate; then burnishing tools flatten areas of copper where less ink is wanted. Burnish a little for gray, or more for a lighter area. This gradual control makes shaded tones easier to suggest than with sharply cut engraving lines. section 8.2
Figure 8.10 Wiping excess ink from a mezzotint plate. (Photo courtesy of David Ladmore)
A prepared plate is wiped before printing; its rough surface retains ink in the recessed marks. section 8.2
A finely graded print
“Sunshine Falling on a Door” demonstrates the fine reproduction of gray tones that mezzotint can produce. The trade-off is durability: copper is soft, and its small indentations wear down under printing pressure, so impressions fade in quality over repeated pressings. section 8.2
