Pre-Aquatint Intaglio-Type

Recommended procedure:

Prepare Plate 

• see Plate Prep Handout

Adhere ImagOn to plate 

• see Basic ImagOn Process Handout

Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type

The principle behind the Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type lies in applying an aquatint to a plate before laminating the top image layer of ImagOn film. The ways of creating an aquatinted plate are as follows; 

1. A copper plate is layered with ImagOn film and it is exposed to the aquatint screen, developed and subsequently etched in ferric chloride for about 90 minutes.  
2. A copper plate can be spray aquatinted with an airbrush and the Hunt Speedball Screen Filler and then etched in the ferric chloride for about 90 minutes.  
   
3. After one layer of ImagOn film has been coated onto  a plate it is exposed to the aquatint screen developed, dried and light-hardened.  
   
4. Wet and dry sandpaper can be stuck onto a plate which simulates an aquatint. 
   
5. Carborundum powder can be sprinkled on to  a plate that was coated with an acrylic mat or gloss medium. When the plate dries this textured surface also can simulate an aquatint plate.  
   
6. Future acrylic floor finish can be coated onto a copper plate and after it has dried the plate can be run through the etching press with a piece of sandpaper in contact with the dried Future finish. This action of rolling the plate through the press causes the gritty surface of the sandpaper to pit the surface of the Future. The plate can be run through the press a number of times with this sandpaper after which the plate is etched in ferric chloride for about 90 minutes. 

The one thing that all of the above plates have in common is that if they were all printed with black etching ink the results would be a transferring of black ink to the paper without any tonal range. Just pure black prints should result. It is not a good idea to test this point with printing this plate at this stage because the next part of the Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type is to laminate the ImagOn film to the surface of the pre-aquatinted plate.  

Laminating the ImagOn film to the surface of the Pre-aquatinted Plate. 
If a copper plate has gone through  a ferric chloride etching bath then it must be thoroughly cleaned with the vinegar and salt solution as mentioned in the Relief Intaglio-Type method. The ImagOn film is applied in the same manner as all of the Intaglio-type techniques but in this instance there must be a curing or drying time before this plate can be successfully used. My recommendation is to laminate the ImagOn film one day and to use it the next although a darkened drying cabinet could facilitate quicker drying time.  

The Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type Technique 
For the Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type a number of surfaces from copper to wood to Plexiglas can be used for the plate according to which aquatint method is used. After the plate has been aquatinted a layer of ImagOn is applied to this roughened surface which is then designed to be used with any photographic or hand drawn stencil. The unique point with this technique is that the unexposed areas of ImagOn film will wash away in the developer to reveal an aquatinted surface below this top layer. The Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type will appeal to those printmakers who want the richness of a mezzotint type black while retaining the most subtle range of tonality and detail within an image.  

Troubleshooting for the Pre-Aquatinted Intaglio-Type 
The stippled surface of the pre-aquatinted plates and the degree of coarseness of this stippled surface can permeate the image at every level so that this texture can potentially visually impact every area of the finished print. This is due to the fact that the ImagOn is laminated and thus pressed into this stippled surface effectively making the two surfaces one. If the aquatinted surface is too coarse it only makes sense that this will be reflected in the finished print. This is a characteristic that some artists may welcome but if it is not wanted then a finer aquatint should be strived for.  

Some artists will prefer the pre-aquatinted plates and if copper is used it must be thoroughly cleaned with the vinegar and salt solution. For deeply bitten aquatinted plates two layers of ImagOn film may need to be applied to the plate to stop the presence of the aquatint in every part of the image. For instance the white areas of an image must be completely smooth to register as a white surface in the finished print. If this surface has been impregnated by a coarse aquatint then this will be reflected by a tonal value in these white areas.