Mezzotint

Mezzotint

The mezzotint process is an intaglio printing process in negative, that is from black to white. The metal surface of the printing plate is burred with a slightly curved steel tool called a rocker. Then it is burnished to varying degrees in the areas where the ink should not penetrate. The mezzotint printmaking process produces areas of tone, rather than lines (very much like an aquatint).