by Sara Owen
An etching is a print made from a design scratched in to the surface of a metal plate. The plate is then placed into an acid bath. The bath eats away the gouges and lines scratched into the plate. If it is in the bath for a short time the it will show up as a thin line on the paper when it was printed. If it is in the acid bath for a long period of time the line will print thicker. The metal plate is rubbed with ink then the excess is rubbed off. Damp paper is placed on the plate and then it is rolled through a printing press. The pressure from the press pushes the soft wet paper in to the grooves where the ink is. This renders an impression on the paper with some embossing characteristics.
by Sara Owen
Dry Point are made by scratching an image into a metal plate. The ink is rubbed on the plate, the excess is rubbed off and a damp piece of paper is placed on the plate. It is then run through the press. The image results in a soft gentle feathered look.