133 On the Art of Aquatinta Erigravlng- 



by htating it gently, so as to melt the particles. This may 

 he tflccted bv holding under the plate lighted pieces ot 

 brown paper rolled up,, and moving them about till every 

 part of the powder is melted. This will be known by us 

 change ot" colour, which will turn brownish. It must now 

 be sutTcied to cool, when it may be examined With a mag- 

 nifier ; and it" the grains or particles appear to be uniformly 

 distributed it is ready for the next part of the process. 



'' The design or drawing to be engraved must now be- 

 examined, and such parts of it as are perfectly white are to 

 be remarked. Those corresponding parts of the plate must 

 be covered, or stopped out, as it is called, with turpentine, 

 or what is better, mastic varnish, diluted with turpentine to 

 a proper consistence to work freely with the pencil, and 

 mixed with lamp-black to give it colour; for, if transpa- 

 rent, the touches of the pencil would not be so distinctly 

 seen. The margin of the plate must also be covered with 

 varnish. When the stopping out is sufficiently dry, a bor- 

 der of wax nmst be raised round the plate in the sanie man- 

 ner as in etching, and the aquafortis, properly diluted witk 

 %vater, poured on. This is called biting in ; and it is that 

 part of the process which is most uncertain, and which 

 requires the greatest degree of experience. "When the aqua- 

 fortis has lain on so long that the plate, when printed, would 

 produce the lightest tint in the drawing, it is poured off', 

 and the plate washed with water, and dried. When it is 

 quite dry, the lightest tints are stopped out, and the aqua- 

 fortis poured on as before ; and this is repeated as often a» 

 tiiere are tintr> to be produced in the plate. 



"■ Although many plates are etched entirely by this me- 

 thod of stopping out and biting in alternately, yet it may 

 be easily conceived that in general it would be very difficult 

 to stop round and leave out all the finishing touches, as 

 also the leaves of trte?, and many other objects, which 

 it would be impossible to execute with the necessary degree 

 of freedom in this manner. 



"^ To overcome this difficulty, another very ingenious 

 process lias been invented, by whicli the touches are laid 

 on the plate with the same ease and expedition as they are 

 in a drawing in Indian ink. i'ine washed whiting is mixed 

 with a little treacle or sugar, and diluted with water in the 

 pencil, so as to work freely, and this is laid on the plate 

 covered vviih the aquatint ground, in the same manner and 

 on the same parts as ink on the drawing. When this i> 

 dry, the whole plate is varnished over with a weak and thin 

 varnish of turpentine, asphaltum, or mastic, and then suf- 

 fered 



