AQUATINT
An intaglio process in which the plate is carefully and evenly covered with a powdered resin dust and heated, so that each particle of dust becomes crystallized and adheres firmly to the plate. The particles leave small exposed sections of the plate, which are then bitten by immersion in acids. Through a series of resin treatments delicate gradations of tone can be produced. The aquatint is characterized by a fine or coarse grainy texture of tones and no lines.

CHARCOAL
A drawing instrument made from the residue from the dry distillation of wood created by heating sticks of wood in closed chambers or kilns.

CHINE COLLE
(French, "Chinese paste") A process of adhering paper (or papers) of different color or texture onto the print, using glue and the pressure of the press. Sometimes a transparent paper is adhered over areas that have already been printed.

COLLAGE
(French "to glue") A print, drawing, or painting with
external elements adhered to the surface; assemblage.

COLLOGRAPH
A print made from a collage. Objects are firmly glued to a matrix and then treated with a Polymer gloss medium to seal the plate prior to inking.

CONTE
Rust colored chalk.

DRYPOINT
An intaglio method made by applying a sharp tool or
diamond-pointed needle directly to the copper plate. The needle tears into the smooth copper plate leaving a rough edge known as a "burr" along the side of the line. This burr gives a character of fuzziness to the drypoint line but quickly wears away in the etching press, so it is suitable only to small editions. Drypoint is printed under pressure on dampened paper as in an etching.

EDITION
All of the finished prints of an image (or series of images) that are signed and numbered by the artist. There are usually some additional proofs in excess of the numbered edition, such as printer's proof or artist's proofs.

EMBOSSING
A process used to create a raised surface, or raised element, on a print.

ENGRAVING
The method of cutting into metal with a burin (the V-shaped hard steel graver). The pressure of the tool creates the lines in the metal. The engraved plate is inked so that the lines are filled, and the surface is wiped clean. The print is made using dampened paper under pressure in an etching press, pulling the ink from the grooves, producing a velvety, clean-cut line.

ETCHING
An intaglio method in which drawn marks are eaten into a metal plate by acid or chemical means rather than cut out with a tool. An acid-resistant ground is thinly coated and dried on a plate. The artist draws through the ground with any of various tools to expose the metal. The plate is immersed in an acid bath that chemically dissolves the exposed metal, creating depressed lines or areas that can be inked and printed.

GOUACHE
A painting medium similar to watercolor but with the addition of opaque white.

GRAPHITE
A drawing instrument that consists of crystalline carbon compressed with fine clay (commonly called lead).

HAND COLORING
The application of additional pigments or materials directly to the surface of a print. Each print varies somewhat depending on the amount of hand working. Hand coloring is sometimes done by the artist or it may be done by assistants.

INTAGLIO
Printing methods in which the image is cut into a plate; ink is applied to the recessed areas of the printing plate. The press squeezes the paper into the grooves in the plate, and the paper receives the ink from the recessed lines. One of the distinguishing
characteristics of these methods is that the dried ink impression stands up from the paper in slight relief perceptible by running one's finger across the print or by close examination. Examples of intaglio processes are aquatint, engraving, etching, drypoint, or mezzotint.

LINOLEUM CUT
A relief print, much like a woodcut, using battleship linoleum rather than wood. The linoleum is somewhat easier to cut and has more uniform surface than wood. Reduction linoleum cuts require the artist to continue to reduce the matrix for each additional color printed.

LITHOGRAPHY
A printmaking process in which a drawing is made on stone or on a metal plate (chemically treated to resemble the Bavarian limestone surface) with a greasy material. The surface is prepared so that the image takes the ink, while the non-image areas repel it. The inked image is transferred to paper by pressure using a lithographic press. A separate plate is required for each color in a lithograph. For example, a six-color lithograph would require six separately drawn plates; each print would be run through the press six times. Ink rests on top of surface.

MEZZOTINT
An intaglio method in which the plate is prepared by
scraping, tooling with special tools, and burnishing the metal surface until the desired gradations of tone are achieved. The mezzotint is characterized by a grainy, stippled texture with fine gradations of tone.

MONOPRINT
A monotype combined with a partially worked etching,
lithograph, screen print or relief print. This technique produces a series of prints in which there is a constant, repeated image but also variations in the monotype passages on each impression.

MONOTYPE
A print made from a painting or drawing on a non absorbent surface such as metal, glass or Plexiglas, which is transferred to paper either by the pressure of the hand or of a press. It is sometimes possible to pull a second (or "ghost") impression from a plate, especially if a press is used. Often the artist will re-work passages between the first and second printings or will use more than one plate. The monotype does not involve the plate being treated with a previous print process.

PASTE
Also known as colored chalk, these are crayons made from pigments and fillers and held together in stick form by a weak gum medium.

PHOTO LITHOGRAPH
A lithograph made from a photographic image that has been transferred to a light-sensitive plate, which is then processed and printed.

PRINTER’S PROOF
A complementary proof given to the printer and/ or printer's assistants. There can be anywhere from one to several printer's proofs.

RELIEF PRINT
A print in which the non-image areas have been cut away; the remaining surface is inked and printed. Woodcuts and linoleum cuts are relief prints. Ink rests on raised areas.

SCREEN PRINT
A print made using silk, other fabric, or metal mesh in which areas are blocked out by adhering a stencil. Paint is forced through the screen in the design areas where the stencil is cut away. In the United States, this method is often called silk screen printing.

SERIGRAPH
A fine silk screen print. During the 1930's, when the process was first used as a fine art medium, the term "serigraph" was coined to distinguish screen prints made by an artist from screen prints produced for commercial purposes.

SILK SCREEN See screen print.

STENCIL PRINT
Any print in which the process involves ink or color that is applied to a perforated or cutout section of specially treated paper or other thin material so that the desired pattern comes through to the paper or surface below the stencil.

SUITE PRINTS
Related in theme and sometimes in technique. A suite of prints is sometime published as a portfolio.

WOODCUT
Relief prints made from a piece of wood that has been cut with a knife, gouge, or chisel. Generally a solid plank of wood or plywood is used, depending on the surface and grain desired.

HOW TO READ EDITION NUMBERS:
Fractional numbers that appear on the face of the print are the edition numbers. The top number identifies this print in the edition. The bottom number indicates the total number of prints in an edition. For example, "23/50" denotes number 23 of an edition of 50. The edition numbering does not necessarily correspond to the order in which the sheets were actually printed. If A/P appears there, it indicates "Artist's Proof;" W/P indicates "working proof."