subject: What Is A Mezzotint? [print this page] The mezzotint technique is a printing technique that is several centuries old. It was invented by a German artist, Ludwig von Siegen in the 1600s. The technique was used to create black and white shaded images, as one of the first methods of mass producing pictures. This method is not used as often in modern days, due to more reliable printing methods. However, it is considered a type of art in and of itself due to the means by which it is made. With mezzotint printmaking you are basically making a stamp as the art which can incidentally be used to stamp out prints, rather than a traditional printer.
How does it work?
The mezzotint technique works by starting with the print block, usually a block of soft metal. The print is usually made from black to white. This is done by first using a rocker over the block. The rocker is a device with a lot of metal hooks that dig into the print block. This leaves a bunch of holes that can be filled with ink, forming the darkest regions. Then continuing to go from darkest to lightest, the areas are smoothed over by flattening them down. Since the ink doesn't stick well to smooth surfaces, the smoother the surface, the whiter that part will be on the finished picture. This will allow the artist to get as good a range of shades as they are willing to smooth out the details themselves.
Of course, it is also possible to do the reverse, and use a light to dark method. This entails only using the rocker on the parts of the image that are to be dark. However, as it is a lot easier to control smoothing out the holes, than creating them, this method was not used nearly as often. In theory, both methods can work just fine. With modern technology such as, lasers, the light to dark method might even be more easy.
What is done after?
After the print block is made, the next stage of the mezzotint printmaking process begins. You can use printer itself, or stamp if you prefer. The finished print block is soaked in ink so that the ink fills in the holes created by the rocker. Then the print is wiped clean with a cloth. This means that the smoother white parts will have less ink to stamp out. The plate is then put on a high pressure machine that stamps the print onto the paper next to it. It is re-inked and reused afterwards. This method will eventually flatten out the holes in the print plate, causing it degrade within a few hundred prints. The print plate must either be remade, or the print lost forever.
It is still possible to use this method even with more modern printing methods available. Why you choose do to so is your own concern. However, there are new methods to make a print plate nowadays. You could design the picture digitally and have the plate machined to match the pattern. You could also use hand tools and carve your own.
