Mezzotint printmaking involves moving a tool called a ‘rocker’ across a plate in a rocking motion at least twelve times… this can take a minimum of one to two hours or a lot longer depending on the size of the plate. The rocker is creating small burrs on the plate that when finished will create a velvet black background tone. The image is then created by scraping back the burrs with a scraper and burnisher to make smooth areas which will appear as a light area. Depending on how much of the burr is scraped away influences the tonal range from dark black to white.

This method is a time consuming, physical process that holds a special place in the world of printmaking. The prints are beautiful and hard to recreate in any other method…. but there is a reason that not everyone pursues this method… it takes a lot of patience.

These sessions will cover preparing the plate edges, rocking the plate, scraping and burnishing the image and printing. We will be working with small plates for those who are new to mezzotint and for those who have tried before we can negotiate a larger plate. The images will be experimental and we will learn together and for those who get hooked, it will be the start of an addictive journey. We will also experiment with a DIY rocker that is a little bit quicker to use.

Class finished - Get in touch if you want to see a similar class in 2024