Copperplate Engraving: An Exceptional Artform
Copperplate engraving is a meticulous, time-consuming process that few artists still practice. Engraving itself is among the oldest artforms known to man, dating back to 70,000 BCE; this stone age practice represents some of humanity’s earliest creativity.
Specifically, the process of copperplate engraving was first used in the 1400s but was largely replaced by wood engraving toward the end of the 18th century. Today, very few modern artists employ this printmaking technique. Don Whittecar enjoys utilizing this artform as a means of preserving the distinctive process.
Wildlife Art News, an international publication with circulation to over 110 countries, has cited Don as one of only seven or eight wildlife art engravers currently practicing worldwide. (Wildlife Art News, Artists Edition, 2004.)
He begins his careful process by drawing directly on the surface of a copper plate. This hand-drawn image serves as his guide for incising each precise stroke into the copper using a tool called a burin or graver.
Once the image has been completely engraved, Don gently coats the surface of the plate with ink, letting it seep into each incision. After the excess ink has been wiped off, the etched image is ready to be pulled through the press.
The inked plate is then covered with a sheet of dampened, handmade, fine-art paper, protected by three felt pads, and pulled through a hand printing press. The pressure forces the ink onto the damp paper, permanently preserving the hand-cut image, often also leaving an outline of the outer edges of the metal plate (a plate mark), too, creating an entirely unique print.
Every print Don makes is made-to-order for each customer and limited to 15 prints pulled from any one plate. Because of these limited editions and the fact that a plate can never be inked the same way twice, each print is completely one-of-a-kind.
Additionally, Don tints selected images with watercolor, further adding to their originality.
