Magical Secrets About Aquatint: Spit Bite, Sugar Lift & Other Etched Tones Step-by-Step - Hardcover

York, Emily

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1891300210 ISBN 13: 9781891300219

Publisher: Crown Point Press, 2008

Synopsis

Cultural Writing. Art. Crown Point Press master printer Emily York discusses aquatint, a form of etching used to create delicate washes, velvety blacks, and intricate layers of color impossible in other art media. Using 46 prints by 32 artists, she ties process directly to art and explains spit bite, sugar lift, soap ground, and water bite. She also details steel-facing and multiple plate printing, with step-by-step instructions for making your own aquatints. With two appendices: "Printing the Crown Point Way" by Kathan Brown and "Using Acid to Bite Plates" by Catherine Brooks. DVD included.

About this title

About the Author:

Master Printer Emily York came to Crown Point Press after training as a printer at Paulson Press, a printmaking press in Berkeley founded by two former Crown Point master printers. Emily was born in Napa, California and grew up in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley. She received her BA in art with an emphasis on printmaking from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She pursues her own artwork and crafts at home in Oakland, CA.

Review:

The third in crown Point Press's series on printmaking, this book does exactly what it says on the cover. Its meticulous, step-by-step approach means that even printmakers who are confident with aquatint will find it helpful. The book is like a Russian doll in its presentation of the technique-each chapter revealing a different aspect of the process. While it can sometimes seem a little short of illustrations, the excellent text more than compensates. The 'how to' descriptions are also richly supported by the masterful images that the author has chosen to exemplify particular effects. Many are the work of some very famous artists: Al Held, Ed Ruscha, Tony Cragg, Elaine De Kooning and Francesco Clemente among them. Crown Point Press is, after all, among the most celebrated of all American print studios. Whether you are a lover of aquatint or among those who have often found themselves frustrated by it, this is the book for you. The accompanying CD is 2 1/2 hours long (as long as it took me to read the book!) but being able to see the master printmaker at work, as described in the book, is a huge bonus. - --Megan Fishpool, Artist-printer & writer, UK, Printmaking Today, 2009

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Point Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1891300210
• ISBN 13: 9781891300219
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 361