Magical secrets about aquatint

by Emily York

"Magical secrets are quickly grasped. They open doors to fresh ways of seeing and understanding. Artists use aquatint, a form of etching, to create delicate washes, velvety blacks, and intricate layers of color impossible in other art media. In this book, the third in a series about etchings, Emily York discusses 46 aquatints by 32 artists, with special attention to fascinating sequential works by Richard Diebenkorn and Al Held. Emily York is a master painter at Crown Point Press, a publishing workshop where artists have been creating etchings since 1962. She ties processes directly to art, and with clear writing and abundant illustrations explains the aquatint processes of spit bite, sugar lift, soap ground, and water bite. She also details steel-facing and multiple-plate printing, and gives step-by-step instructions for making your own aquatints. Anyone who cares about art will enjoy this book, and anyone who makes etchings will find it indefensible. The included DVD demonstrates the