mezzotint
Roughened plate printing
Mezzotint is a printmaking technique that produces images with rich, velvety tones and subtle gradations from light to dark.
The process involves roughening a metal plate so it holds ink uniformly, then smoothing selected areas to create lighter tones—working from dark to light rather than the usual reverse.
The term also refers to a print made this way.
Mezzotints were especially popular in the 18th century for reproducing portraits and paintings.
The gallery displayed several mezzotints after Reynolds.
Chair on curved rails
- burnisherTool for smoothing surfaces
- scrapingRubbing away material
- rockingOscillating on curved base
- plateFlat dish for food
copperplate · burr · grounding · polishing · roughening · smoothing · tooling · graver
Tonal etching process
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
- drypointNeedle-scratched printmaking method
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- lithographyGrease-based flat plate printing
woodcut · linocut · serigraphy · monotype · photogravure · relief · impression · edition
Incremental transition between stages
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
- halftoneDot-based image reproduction
- velvetySoft and smooth-textured
- shadowLight blocked by object
highlight · darkness · luminosity · softness · depth · subtlety · modulation · value
Soft and smooth-textured
- burrClinging seed case
- grainCereal plant's harvest unit
- softnessYielding to gentle pressure
- richnessState of abundance
bloom · nap · tooth · surface · matte · dense · lush · sumptuous
Artistic depiction of someone
- nocturneContemplative keyboard piece
- landscapeVisible features of terrain
- still-lifeArt depicting inanimate objects
- reproductionCopying or procreation
narrative · allegorical · genre · figurative · dramatic · atmospheric · moonlight · candlelight
Male given name
- VictorianOf a prim era
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- reproductiveRelated to producing offspring
- eighteenth-centuryRelating to the 1700s
nineteenth-century · revival · tradition · decline · renaissance · British · Dutch · antiquarian
rocker
Chair on curved rails
plate · copperplate · burr · grounding · polishing · roughening · smoothing · tooling · graver · inking
aquatint
Tonal etching process
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
- drypointNeedle-scratched printmaking method
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
lithography · woodcut · linocut · serigraphy · monotype · photogravure · relief · impression · edition · pull
gradation
Incremental transition between stages
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
- halftoneDot-based image reproduction
- velvetySoft and smooth-textured
shadow · highlight · darkness · luminosity · softness · depth · subtlety · modulation · value · contrast
velvety
Soft and smooth-textured
richness · bloom · nap · tooth · surface · matte · dense · lush · sumptuous · smooth
portrait
Artistic depiction of someone
- nocturneContemplative keyboard piece
- landscapeVisible features of terrain
- still-lifeArt depicting inanimate objects
reproduction · narrative · allegorical · genre · figurative · dramatic · atmospheric · moonlight · candlelight
Rupert
Male given name
- VictorianOf a prim era
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- reproductiveRelated to producing offspring
eighteenth-century · nineteenth-century · revival · tradition · decline · renaissance · British · Dutch · antiquarian · collector
- art techniquespainting, drawing, sketching, shading, blending
- printmakingprints, print, printing, woodcuts, woodcut
- Art printswoodblock print, woodcut, etching, lithograph, engraving
- book artillustration, book covers, frontispiece, book cover art, cover art
- engravingburin, etching, graver, copper plates, engraver
- printing historyprinting press, Gutenberg, typographers, Gutenberg press, block printing
mezzotintetching
Acid-incised metal print
woodcut · linocut · acid etching · wood engraving · drypoint
mezzotintline drawing
Image using strokes only
pen and ink · hard-edge · cross-hatching · contour drawing · outline
tint, mezzanine, tints, tinting, intaglio, mezzo, mezzo-soprano, tinter