Aquatinte
The aquatinte is a process of Eau-forte by which one obtains various tonalities by the bite, more or less prolonged, in a basin of Acide, of a metal plate covered with a layer of powder resin or bitumen.
The plate is covered with resin, by passage in a specialized box. The latter makes it possible to spread the resin by a system of crank. The action of the crank vaporizes the dust of resin or Colophane inside the volume of the box. The plate is put flat in the box and the door is closed again. One lets the resin settle during a few minutes, according to the desired density. The plate left the box and passed on a source of heat (stove) in order to dissolve the resin dust. It is also possible to deposit the resin using a porous fabric headstock filled with resin. In this case the deposit is less regular and the grains will be deposited in a more compact way.
The plate can then be deposited in the acid, the zones having to remain white having been covered beforehand by a varnish. The acid attacks the plate in the zones, that the molten resin grains did not occult.
The aquatinte makes it possible to obtain surfaces of gray to black following the time of bite and the density of resin deposited.
The drawing can then possibly be coloured, like in the case of the Birds of America .
The French engraver Jean-Baptiste the Prince improved the technique of the aquatinte.
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