Mezzotint pre-rocked plates made and cut to order !

INTRODUCING MAYWOODS MEZZOTINT COPPER PLATE

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Anyone who has hand-rocked a copper plate using a mezzotint rocker will know how much hard work is needed. All the effort does however seem worthwhile when the results are surely some of the most stunning examples of chiaroscuro possible in intaglio printmaking. Commercially prepared 'pre-mezzotinted' plates are available, but these do not yield such rich, deep tones as a plate that has been rocked in the traditional manner. The reason is that the former are made using knurled rollers that produce a fine though shallow burr in the metal. Traditional mezzotint rocking tools, because of their shape, cut more deeply into the metal surface creating a much deeper burr and hence a greater tonal range available to the artist. Maywood's mezzotint copper plates are made using best quality traditional mezzotint rockers made by Lyon's. Each full sized plate is individually crafted using a specially adapted pole-rocking system which not only maintains constant pressure and angle of the rocker blade to the plate surface, but also controls rocking motion and spacing to give a perfect pass.

Every plate is rocked with at least 2 complete passes in each of 12 different directions (see diagram). This gives a minimum of 24 complete passes to create a deep, richly textured ground.

Maywood's mezzotint plates offer the finest traditionally rocked copper plate you can buy with the potential to render the tiniest detail and greatest tonal contrast without all the hard work.

HISTORY OF MEZZOTINT

The invention of mezzotint is attributed to Ludvig Von Siegen. Born in Utrecht in 1609 he began printmaking in the 1630's. Until that time there were only three known forms of printing from metal plates. These were engraving (or drypoint), biting with acid and crible. The later most closely resembles mezzotint since the image is formed by a series of holes or dots punched into the metal, the additive effects of which produce areas of varying tonal contrast. Von Siegen began to use a variety of tools to create different kinds of dots and burrs. These tools were mainly roulettes of various designs that had been used for centuries by bookbinders, leather and metal workers. He used them as one might use a drawing instrument, in an additive way, correcting mistakes using scrapers and burnishers. Close examination of Von Siegen's prints reveal a zig-zag configuration of dots characteristic of a flat rounded chisel with a serrated edge similar to what later became known as a 'mezzotint rocker'.

It is not clear whether Von Siegen ever met Prince Rupert of the Rhine who was himself an etcher and experimenter, or whether the Prince learned of Von Siegen's work from studies of his prints. It was Prince Rupert however, who began to use the scraper and burnisher not as tools of correction but as drawing instruments in themselves, working deductively over a fully grounded plate. In doing so he realised the potential of this technique for chiaroscuro effects and continuous tonal gradations.

As the art of mezzotint spread throughout Europe, methods of grounding the plate improved with refinement of the rocking tool and its usage. Painters, realising the potential of this process for the reproduction of their own work, were keen to promote the use of mezzotint for this purpose. Although many printmakers continued to produce their own original prints, the market for this work was overshadowed by that for the reproduction of work by fashionable painters of the day.

During the first half of the 19^th century other graphic printing processes such as lithography (which can yield an unlimited number of copies) began to supersede the use of mezzotint for mass reproduction. The demise was further hastened with the development of photographic techniques, which allowed painters to reproduce their work exactly without having to compromise with the printmaker's own personal artistic interpretation. As a result many of the traditional skills used by the professional mezzotint engravers have been lost. Towards the end of the 19^th century there was a resurgence of interest in intaglio techniques as artists began to explore the possibilities of printmaking for new artistic expression. Thanks to artists such as Sir Frank Short, who represents an important link between the reproductive engraver and the artist/printmaker and was among the first to be recognised for his original mezzotints, these traditional skills were not entirely lost.

Throughout the 20^th century artists continued to use traditional forms of printmaking, often combining different techniques and adding those of their own. In so doing, printmaking has become firmly established as an art form in its own right with unlimited scope for artistic freedom and individual expression. Among the ever-growing number of printmaking techniques available, mezzotint continues to offer unique qualities of rich, dark tonal contrast unrivalled by any other process.

BEGINNERS GUIDE

Here you will find all the basic information needed to get started. Mezzotint engraving requires a great deal of patience, skill, and a good eye for detail. Practise makes perfect so please contact if you would like a free 50x30mm sample plate. Further sample plates are available on request in exchange for a signed copy of your printed plate. Please contact for details.

Drawing out the image

Pencil can be used directly on the plate or traced through from an original drawing. Similarly, carbon and other transfer papers may be used.

Engraving the plate

It is important to have a good source of light, the plate is best seen by reflected light. The angle of the plate to the light determines which rocking pass is revealed and it is important to check these different views. Charcoal dust lightly rubbed over the plate will give an idea of how the image will print, easily removed with a little soap and water.

There are two basic ways of working:

Burnishing involves rubbing selected areas of the plate with smooth, rounded or oval tools to flatten the burr. The more polished an area becomes, the lighter it will print. Burnishing is used to render softly graded tonal changes.

Scraping the burr by varying degrees uses a small sharp edged blade usually triangular in cross-section. The more deeply scraped, the lighter the area will print and is used to give sharper outlines and highlights.

Tools

A variety of tools can be used to manipulate the burr. Etching tools such as the scraper/burnisher and ball burnisher are excellent. However, good results can be obtained using a scalpel or small craft knife for scraping and a teaspoon handle or similar for burnishing. Dental tools are also very useful. Printing Essentially as in etching, although if the ink is too thick or tacky the plate may be difficult to wipe. Adding a little weak or medium copper plate oil to the ink and/or gently heating the plate will avoid the need for excessive wiping which will wear the image quicker. The best papers to use are fairly soft etching papers such as Rives BFK, Arches, Hahnemule and Somerset. Saunders H.P. and other watercolour papers are also popular but do require a little more soaking to remove some of the size.Generally more pressure is needed than for the same sized etching.

Health and Safety

Nowadays, growing concerns of health and safety have motivated many printmakers to actively seek alternative techniques. This has led to some interesting results, not only in making traditional techniques safer, but also in opening up new possibilities for artistic expression. Traditional mezzotint engraving is essentially a drypoint technique in that the image is created by purely mechanical means. There are no acids, corrosive salts, solvents, resins or heating required. The only risk is from the small amount of copper dust produced by scraping. This dust should be removed from time to time by tapping the plate vertically or using a soft brush. Copper can turn sceptic in contact with broken skin and may cause irritation of sensitive areas. Always wash hands after handling copper. Cleaning up of ink can be done with cheap vegetable oil as a safe alternative to turps. Provided these precautions are taken, mezzotint engraving is one of the safest forms of printmaking.

M.Maywood, The Old School, 81 High Street, Owston Ferry,
North Lincolnshire, England, DN9 1RL.

Alternatively orders can be taken by phone on +44 (0) 1427 728 175
email: info@mezzotint.co.uk
web: www.mezzotint.co.uk