Etching vs Lithography

エッチング／腐食銅版画 / 石版画／リトグラフ

Etching comes from Intaglio Printing and Lithography from Planographic Printing. Both are read here as technique. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Etching

Etching — レンブラント『百グルデン版画』1649頃 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainEtching — レンブラント『三本の木』にもとづく版 — Wikimedia Commons / CC0Etching — エッチング技法書の図版 1907 — Wikimedia Commons / No restrictions

A needle draws through the acid-resistant ground and the acid bites the metal it exposes, cutting lines into the plate that are thin, fluid and close to handwriting.

Lithography

Lithography — ロートレック『ムーラン・ルージュ』1891 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainLithography — ドーミエ『トランスノナン街』1834 — Wikimedia Commons / CC0Lithography — シェレ『ムーラン・ルージュ舞踏会』1889 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Uses the repulsion of oil and water to reproduce crayon and tusche drawing from stone or plate, keeping all the softness of the hand.

EtchingLithography
Era16th century–1796–
FamilyIntaglio PrintingPlanographic Printing
KindTechniqueTechnique
CuesThin flowing lines / Depth by biting / Cross-hatching / Plate marksGreasy crayon / Stone or metal plate / Painterly tone / Multicolor overprinting
Best used forSeries of travel notes or figures that keep the speed and hesitation of drawing · Book illustration where atmosphere and shadow must come from line aloneLimited editions and art books that must keep the touch of crayon and charcoal · Large posters that need rich tone from a small number of colors
TypeDraw the lettering with the same needle so its weight matches the imageDraw the lettering onto the stone by hand instead of setting type
CompositionBuild tone from hatching density and keep bare paper as the brightest areaSplit areas and lines between plates, planning for colors to overprint
MaterialVary line depth by bite time, stopping out in stages as the acid worksGreasy crayon or tusche on stone, tone held by oil against water
CautionA uniform pen line filter is no substitute, since bite time, overlapping lines, ink left in the wiping and press pressure make the difference, and layering without timing fills detail with black.Pencil texture is not it, and neglecting density control crushes the tone into a merely blurred image. Learn how oil against water, the stone, damping, the roller and overprinted plates shape line and color.

Put these two together

Intaglio Printing ／ Planographic Printing

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