A quick guide to aquatinting with acrylicsThe following is a quick guide to creating aquatint using sprayed acrylics.
For more details on the following go to the INTAGLIO MANUAL
Aquatint in acrylic resist etching
Creating a uniform aquatint
Creating a modulated aquatint
Scraped aquatint
Aquatint and spit bite
Printing an aquatint plate
Lydia Anastasevicz, Spray Aquatint and etched Intaglio Type
Airbrush Aquatint
Aquatint is used to create areas of tone on etched plates. The method has been updated with the use of acrylic inks and airbrush equipment. Keith Howard recommends using a diluted solution of Speedball screenfiller (the filler is thinned with 20% to 30% water for spraying), to provide a very versatile medium. The granular makeup of the screenfiller suits the tonal nature of the aquatint process and the results, especially on copper, can be outstanding.
In 1994 I had the opportunity to collaborate with Lydia Anastasevicz, an artist from the former Yugoslavia who was highly proficient in the use of traditional aquatint techniques. Together, we thoroughly tested the new type of aquatint at the Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop. Lydia's initial scepticism towards the new approach soon gave way to great enthusiasm about the enhanced creative possibilities afforded by using Speedball screenfiller. The Speedball is capable of greater subtlety than traditional rosin-based aquatint due to its semi-permeable nature; during etching the microscopic dots gradually diminish in size resulting in much smoother tonal effects and gradations than are possible with a rosin dot.
Regular Acrylic Aquatint
Many other acrylic solutions such as the Badger aquatint solution developed by Keith Howard, the Lascaux Aquatint Solution, or ZAcryl's hard ground, also work as a spray aquatint. The Badger solution is based on a very tough polymer which is not semi-permeable like Speedball. As a consequence this aquatint solution perfectly mimics the solid dots typically found in a conventional aquatint.
Note: Care should be taken to print this aquatint with sufficient plate tone as the dots in the tonal areas can look too prominent; masterprinters call this effect sparklies.
MATERIALS
Products and Equipment needed to make up and apply an aquatint:
- Speedball Screenfiller
- Koh-i-Noor India ink
- airbrush aquatint solution (Badger, Lascaux or ZAcryl)
- clean water to make up the aquatint spray solution
- airbrush compressor
- spray gun / designer's airbrush
- pin / needle (for cleaning spray gun blockages)
- sheets of newsprint for test spraying
- a bucket of soapy water
- paper towels
- degreased plate (not sanded)
METHOD
Make up your own aquatint spray as follows:
Mix Speedball Screenfiller with 20% to 30% water
or
Example 2:
Mix some India ink (ideally Koh-i-Noor) into the acrylic aquatint solution
(use enough India ink to get a black; test on paper)
or
Example 3:
Mix one of the following binders with Koh-i-Noor ink then with 20% to 30% water:
Lascaux 2060 or Golden GAC 200
(excellent corrosion resistance and easy to strip)
or
Example 4:
Use ready-mixed Badger Aquatint Solution
METHOD
Apply an aquatint spray as follows:
- Attach the airbrush to the compressor and turn on the machine
- Make sure the facility's ventilation is running
- Put on gloves and goggles
- Fill the airbrush's detachable ink container with ink and re-attach
- Test spray density on white paper (about 40% to 50% dots) you are looking for a FINE MIST of black dots. Once satisfied with the result on paper, spray onto your plate
- Spray in even passes. Do not overspray as the plate will not etch if covered too thickly with dots
For a base aquatint, aim for a density of dots that will cover between 40% to 50% (not more than 50%) of the plate surface.
Create marks on top of the aquatinted plate with Crisco, oil crayon, Scotch tape or acrylics; during etching these marks will remain lighter in tone.
You may create successive layers of tone all the way from white via various layers of grey to black according to how long you etch the plate.
You can create a whole tonal range in one etching stage simply by varying the density of the sprayed dots. You can also make blends, graffiti marks and stencil effects this way.
Try dissolving some of the sprayed plate surface with water; you will get amazing random wash effects.
After etching, any fatty deposits (Crisco or oil crayon) need to be washed off with soapy water. Acrylics can be stripped using soda ash or a citrus-based solvent (see below), or left on the plate for printing.
Safe Stripping with Orange Zest Solvents
An acrylic aquatint can be stripped off in a strong soda ash solution (1 part crystals to 3 parts warm water), or use one of the excellent citrus-based safe solvents now on the market (such as D*Solve by Z*Acryl) which remove acrylics with great ease.
"This truly revolutionary solvent was formulated as an alternative to petroleum-based turpentines and thinners. It is made from 100% renewable agricultural resources of soy, corn, and citrus, and is non-polluting, non-carcinogenic, and bio-degradable. Less than a teaspoon will thoroughly clean a large plate. DSolve will even strip dried ink from etched lines." Dick Blick
Image: Z*Acryl Product D*Solve
Typical etching times are as follows: -
even darker grey : another 5 minutes
and so on up to black : about 30 to 45 minutes
CLICK for Henrik Boegh's instructions on how to make your own AQUATINT SPRAY BOOTH............................................................................................................................................................................
Health and Safety Note
Traditional aquatint rosin is highly explosive; several fires in art schools were reported as being due to Aquatint box explosions. Rosin dust can also cause asthma (see PRINCETON UNIVERSITY) and is suspected of permanently clogging lung tissue.
excerpt from
Printsafe: A Guide to Safe, Healthy and Green Printmaking
Tim Challis
London: Estamp, 1990
