Mezzotint

Is an print making process that involves the use of  a tool ca,ed a "Rocker" that technically groups it with the drypoint process as used in etching. The Rocker roughs up the soft copper plate by using "teeth". By smoothng down the rough surface dictates how much applied ink is held on the plate It is a tonal technique ie the rougher the surface the the more ink trapped when printing. There is no line or dot-based techniques like cross-hatching or stippling. Mezzotint achieves tonality by roughening the plate with thousands of little dots made by a metal tool with small teeth, called a "rocker." In printing, the tiny pits in the plate hold the ink when the face of the plate is wiped clean. A high level of quality and richness in the print can be achieved. darker areas have the appearance of blace velvet. The delicacy of the process limits the number of pressings dur to the nature of soft copper.