The Thames and Hudson Manual of Etching and Engraving (Thames & Hudson Manuals) [Paperback]

Walter Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992 | Series: Thames & Hudson Manuals

Discusses the tools, techniques, and principles of etching and engraving and includes both historical and modern examples.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; First edition & printing edition (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500680019
• ISBN-13: 978-0500680018
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding introduction --, October 8, 2005

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Thames and Hudson Manual of Etching and Engraving (Thames & Hudson Manuals) (Paperback)

-- for print-makers and print-lovers alike.

This book covers every aspect of printmaking, from preparing a plate for grounding to preparing it for storage after the edition has been printed. It discusses the many kinds of etching, including lift and aquatint processes, up to relief etching. Soft ground gets more attention here than most authors give it, including various aspects of using paper as a tool to transfer or create an image. Chamberlain also covers the techniques where the toolmarks create the image directly: engraving, drypoint, crivee, and collage-like "metal graphic." Mezzotint, so unlike the other processes, gets separate discussion of its own. Chamberlain is especially helpful in offering alternatives to the laborious rocker ground, including aquatint and abrasive techniques.

Later chapters address the basics of paper, ink, and press. Of course, there's that moment when all the pieces come together and print is pulled. Then, discuss covers some of the techniques and problems of drying the finished print - preserving the embossing that comes from intaglio process, while avoiding the cockling that carelessly dried paper is subject to.

This won't stand by itself as a how-to guide for a beginning engraver or etcher. It is helpful, though, in summarizing the many ways to make marks on the plate, including some unusual transfer techniques. This helps the print-lover as well. I find myself intriuged by the marks in an image as much as by the image itself. Knowing the means used to convert the artist's imagination into reality only heightens my enjoyment. No book on intaglio process covers everything, but this book certainly carries its weight in describing both common and unusual techniques. I recommend it highly.

//wiredweird

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing approach to zinc, February 6, 2010

By 

J. Bammert "BOISEPRNTMKR" (IDAHO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Thames and Hudson Manual of Etching and Engraving (Thames & Hudson Manuals) (Paperback)

This is a great text for both beginning and advanced intaglio printmakers. It clearly outlines all you should know about intaglio, from preparing your zinc plate to pulling proof. It will refresh the ideas and techniques that you once knew of but have since forgotten. This text contains more than enough imformation to keep you busy learning about intaglio and all that it has to offer printmaking artists.