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Glite Dictionary
🖼️ A tonal print 🎨 Etching method 🖌️ To etch with tone
aquatint

aquatint

1 9.9
A way of making prints that uses etched metal plates to create soft tones
  • noun
  • /ˌækwəˈtɪnt/
  • Specialized
: aguatinta
  • etching and aquatint
  • aquatint printing techniques
  • aquatint on paper

Examples

  • That is how mezzotint, aquatint, and wash-drawing arose.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The spectrum of processes includes woodcuts, engravings, wood engravings, etchings, aquatints, and lithographs.

    Blog text (33)

  • For a further account of Burdett's various aquatint processes, see idem, "Burdett, Wedgwood and Bentley," Print Quarterly 25, no. 2 (June 2008): 132-46.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The artist created a stunning landscape using aquatint to give it a soft, watercolored appearance.

  • He displayed multiple prints, each showcasing the unique texture that aquatint adds to traditional etching.

  • In her latest exhibition, the artist features works made with aquatint, highlighting its delicate tonal variations.

Synonyms

intaglio
vsaquatint
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A way of making prints where carved lines hold the ink

is a specific etching method producing tonal areas like watercolor washes
intaglio printing
vsaquatint
  • Specialized
1 8.5

A printing method where an image is cut into a metal plate and the cuts hold ink to make prints

is a narrower etching technique focused on creating watercolor like tones

Surface Forms

aquatint singular
aquatints plural

Morphology

aquatint = aqua + tint (semi-transparent) = aqua + tint

The constituents point to 'water-colour-like tint', but the meaning refers to a specialized etching technique rather than a general colour term.

Etymology

Aquatint comes from Italian acqua 'water' and tinta 'tinted', which gives the idea 'water-tint'. It names a printmaking technique that makes areas of tone like watercolor washes, so the result has smooth, soft shades.