Etchings

An etching is a print that is made using acid to make recessed lines in a copper plate.

 

The process begins with a copper plate which is heated and then covered with a thin layer of hardground.  Once impervious to acid the artist then draws on the surface with a sharp tool called a burin, cutting through the hardground to expose the copper.  The plate is dipped in acid, and the longer it is left in, the wider and deeper the etched lines become.  The plate is then printed, producing a print.