Etching and Aquatint

The Etching and Aquatint project explored the printmaking process of etching and using aquatint to display a form of value differentiation that will help tell a story. Etching is a technique in the intaglio printmaking process in which an acid resistant is applied to a copper plate. Aquatint is another technique in the intaglio printmaking process in which a dot pattern is placed and etched onto the copper plate to display tonal value change. After these processes, the copper plate is inked, wiped, and pressed to produce a final product. To make the print successful the paper needs to be dampened in order to pick up the ink from the etched carvings. The goal was to create a dynamic, well-developed composition that can tell a story. The fossil tells the story because it captures a fragment of time, it helps us piece the world together and understand its past.