Etching is an Intaglio process, whereby prints are created by an image being etched or bitten below the surface of the material copper,zinc or iron plates that the artist is working on. Prints of the etched image are then produced by filling the detail of the image with ink and pressing it against a soft material such as paper. It is considered to be one of the most versatile of all the graphic media due to the endless effects it allows a skilled artist to achieve. The origins of etching stretch back over many centuries to the time when metal workers first learned to engrave fine lines into metal objects for decorative purposes. There is evidence that some of these early engravers were producing images of their work by blacking their lines with soot and pressing absorbent media against the engraved metal even before the advent of paper.

Website: http://www.original-etchings.co.uk/