Both faults of crayon work, namely, the taking of tone and the
development of a "monotonic" condition, can be remedied by inking the
plate for a while with a firmer color. If this does not help, the
following must be resorted to: Ink-in the plate as well as possible, lay
it in the etching-trough and pour over it very weak aquafortis once or
twice. Then wash it with pure water and paint the gum solution over it.
The etching must be done with great caution, with a solution so weak
that the acid is scarcely perceptible. If the plate is to be saved at
all without extensive corrections and re-drawing, this is the best way.
If it is done correctly, it harms the design so little that I advise it
even when the plate looks quite well, but has been standing very long
after the first printing.
I have etched several crayon designs over again, and rather extensively,
to make them more durable and facilitate printing, and with good
success. This gives the further advantage that corrections can be made
at the same time.
The correction of crayon designs, that have been etched already and used
for printing, always has been so difficult a task that few have
succeeded. This has led me to give the matter my best attention; and I
hope that the following rules, based on many experiments, will show the
way, at least, even if they do not produce absolute results.
When a copper-plate engraver has partially finished his plate, he can
have a proof pulled to enable him to study his work. Then he can make
corrections as he pleases,--an advantage that the stone worker has
lacked hitherto.
To produce an impression that shall be faithful to all the beauties of a
crayon design is a matter dependent on so many trivial details that of
the many hundred crayon designs that have been produced by lithographers
since the origin of the art, hardly one has realized the designer's
hopes and ambitions. The commonest fault is that the more delicate
parts of the design print too light and the heavier ones too dark,
thus destroying the balance of tones. The lightening occurs because
the finest parts of the design have lost their power of taking
printing-color. The darkening occurs because the closely shaded parts
flow together, either because the etching has not made enough white
space between the points and lines or because they are squashed in the
pressure of printing.
From this, two other faults may arise, that become visible after
inking-in the plate: The first is the appearance of white dots,
sometimes pretty large. The second is that black dots and smut-marks
appear.
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