Mezzotint is a drypoint tonal method of printmaking. Gradations of tone can be produced without using techniques such as hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. The plate is indented by rocking a spiked metal tool evenly over the surface. The light tones are created by rubbing the pitted surface using a burnisher. The pits hold the most ink and the smoothed sections create the different levels of tone.
Martin Maywood, also of The Rooewalk Printmakers, describes the environmental benefits of using mezzotint: “Using no chemicals, mezzotint engraving is a very green and environmentally friendly method of intaglio printmaking with the ability to render images in photographic detail with a full range of velvet tones.”
There’re some expert mezzotint printmakers at The Rooewalk, and the plates are produced by Martin Maynard.