Etching - A Practical Treatise

ETCHING A PRACTICAL TREATISE BY EARL H. REED AUTHOR OF THE VOICES OF THE DUNES AND OTHER ETCHINGS 1 ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR G. P. PUTNAMS SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON ftnfcfcerbocfcer pre00 1914 INTRODUCTION THIS book is intended for the student. It is de signed to adapt and condense methodically the most reliable information and data now available on the subject of etching, as a means of line expression, for the benefit of the practical worker. To this have been added observations and other matter suggested by twenty-five years of practical experience. The bibliography of etching has become so extensive, so complex, and in a measure so confusing to the or dinary student and amateur that the beginner is often at a loss to know upon what authority to rely. Some of the most important works on the subject are not only out of print, and difficult to obtain, but are quite elaborate and expensive, and contain much matter that is really beyond the scope of a strictly practical treatise. A book of this character, therefore, would seem to have a distinct field. It would be impossible to cover the entire subject of pictorial expression by intaglio processes in a small volume intended for use as a manual, and no one writer could have the practical experience necessary to enable vi Introduction him . to do adequate justice, from a technical stand point, to all of the various methods used. It has been thought best to restrict this work to the consideration of original expression in line on the plate by means of acid, and drypoint, which is practically inseparable from it. Mezzotint, aquatint, and other kindred processes, as well as photo-mechanical methods of etching, have been left to specialists onthose subjects. It is not the purpose of this treatise to combat opinion, to go extensively into the theoretical side of the subject, nor to enumerate the various influences which have placed etching in the exalted position it now occupies. Many of the great masters have turned to it for expression. It is not intended to discuss what they have expressed, or their particular modes of expression. This field is amply covered. It is the mechanical means and the craftsmanship necessary to the successful practice of the art, that the following pages are intended to simplify and elucidate. Technical terms have generally been avoided, existing authorities have been freely consulted, and an effort made to provide the student with a concise, reliable manual, as complete and compact within its own limits as possible. Etching is peculiarly an art for the enthusiast and the poet. The wonderful eloquence of its black line, the brilliancy and mystery attainable through it, its Introduction vii wide latitude of expression and interpretative power, commend it as one of the noblest of the graphic arts. The sorcery of the bitten line has a charm which is all its own. This charm cannot be described, and is known only to those who are tinder its spell. A subtle witchery begins to brood over the plate when the bubbles of the acid appear on its face, and a thrill of anticipation comes when it is placed under the felt blankets, ready for the first impression. Mere facts are the most unpoetic things in the world, and to the cold and calculating realist, accomplished draughtsman though he be, this art will not appeal. It is essentially a vehicle of emotion and artistic thought To one who learns the song of theline upon a copper plate, a new world is opened. It is into this enchanted land that we now seek a path. E. H. R.. CHICAGO, June 1914. CONTENTS CHAPTER PA-GtE INTRODUCTION ....... iii I. THE FIRST EXPERIMENT ..... i II. EQUIPMENT 6 III. METHOD . . . . . . .62 IV. CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS .... 100 DRYPOINT . . ., . . .114 SOFT-GROUND ETCHING 118 VI. PRINTING 125 CONCLUSION ...... 145 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE ON THE SAND DUNES .... Frontispiece Etched by the Author. ETCHING TOOLS AND MATERIAL 41 ETCHING TOOLS ........ 47 PLATE ETCHED BY DIFFERENT METHODS .....