Plate to print: carrot

Engraving copper plates is a highly skilled, time consuming, physical process. The detail from a carrot, on a copper plate with centuries-old printer’s ink trapped in the furrows, shows how Michael Burghers (c.1647-1727) worked to produce tonal effects. A burin, pushed or pulled through the surface of a copper plate – rather like a plough shear through a field – leaves a characteristic furrow that is pointed at each end. One end is where the burin enters the metal, the other is where it is removed. Shallow scoops (light touch on the tool) will produce thin furrows that hold little ink, whereas deep scoops (heavy touch) produce broad furrows holding much ink. Varying pressure on the burin, as the furrow is made by the engraver, creates shading effects. In this case, one can clearly see that the shading (vertical) lines is made by multiple closely spaced furrows added after the furrows defining the circumference of the carrot. Blunt ends to furrows are achieved by running the burin into a pre-existing furrow or by lifting the burin very sharply at the end of the furrow and going back over that furrow in the opposite direction. Text and images are of course reversed on the copper plate relative to the print.