Angel etching #104
+ original one of a kind etching by Angela Cartwright
+ water color paper
+ approximately 5" x 7" - image size: 2" x 2"
+ signature on front
+ copyright Angela Cartwright
+ Watermark does not appear on the item
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metalsurface to create a design in intagliano (incised) in the metal. In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle where he or she wants a line to appear in the finished piece, so exposing the bare metal. The échopp tool is also used for "swelling" lines. The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid, technically called the etchant, or has acid washed over it. The acid "bites" into the metal (it converts metal into salt solution and hydrogen) to a depth depending on time and acid strength, leaving behind the drawing skillfully carved into the wax on the plate. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper. The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print.
