Etching

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/etching

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the printmaking classification?Intaglio printmaking technique involving acid corrosion
2. What is the primary etchants?Nitric acid (for copper), Hydrochloric acid or copper sulfate solutions (for zinc)
3. What is etching in art?Etching is a printmaking technique where artists use acid to bite into a metal plate, creating lines that hold ink for printing.
4. How do artists make the lines in an etched picture?They cover a metal plate with a waxy ground, then use sharp needles to remove the ground, exposing metal. Acid then eats away the exposed metal to make lines.

Mordant: A chemical agent, typically an acid, used to etch or corrode a material.
Intaglio: A printmaking process where the image is incised into the surface of the plate; ink resides in the grooves.
Photochemical Milling: A modern etching process using light-sensitive resists to create precise metal patterns.
Aquatint: An etching technique used to create tonal or shaded areas by applying powdered resin to the plate.