The process of mezzotint is nearly 400 years old, yet it remains for the most part unknown. The 20th century has been witness to new trends in mezzotint production. The increased use of multiple-plate techniques, along with other inovations, promise to draw attention to the unique qualities

of this medium: namely, the capacity to render detailed images solely through tone.

The mezzotint plate is first roughened by means of a mezzotint rocker, a serrated tool which, when rocked across a copper plate,will produce a rough surface.

The plate is rocked in one direction, then another, again and again, until it is uniformly textured. The artist then carefully scrapes and burnishes the prepared plate exposing the lighter tones of an image. The more pressure applied to the burnisher in a given area, the lighter that area will print. Rough areas of the plate will hold more ink and will print the darkest tones. When the desired image is achieved the plate is inked and run through an etching press transferring the image to paper.

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