COLORING STEEL ENGRAVINGS

 

While purists might flinch at the idea of coloring antique engravings, the practice has been around since the very start of antique prints. Many people not only enjoy the look of hand tinted steel engravings but evidently it can be fun, too. Personally, I don't color antique prints.  I'm of the anti-Ted Turner school... if it wasn't colored to begin with then I don't colorize it now.  However, it's all personal preference and a matter of choice and what a collector likes. So if you like the idea of coloring antique prints here's some ideas:

If you want to add some tinting to your engraving, it is pretty easy.

 

This method below applies ONLY to intaglio prints (steel engravings, etchings, and photogravures. NOT typogravures). Why? Because intaglio prints were originally printed wet anyway so getting an antique print wet does it no harm (providing you're careful)... waterleaf paper used in surface printed artworks (like typogravures or offset) can react differently when water is applied. Waterleaf paper can buckle, wave, or even disintegrate.

1. You will be tinting with watercolors (okay, acrylic and gouache would also work, but would obscure much of the linework... various colored inks can be used but test a small corner of the paper first to see how the paper will react). Watercolors are the easiest to control the intensity of and ought to produce a fairly nice tinted engraving when you're all done. Start LIGHT -- you can always darken later, but if you paint too dark at first, then you are in trouble as you can not 'scrub' the artwork like watercolor paper without removing and ruining the pigment of the engraving.

 

2. Be sure the brush you are using is soft. Avoid brushing thick engraved lines as this motion will dislodge the century-dried pigment particles and deposit them where you've painted, giving the tinting a murky, muddy appearance

3. Once you are done, you'll notice that the print may have picked up some undulations. That is okay. Let the sheet air dry completely. After a couple days, use a clean atomizer to spray down the print with clean water. Allow to air dry until dry to the touch, and then press using a steam iron but be sure to have a sheet of clean blank paper between the iron and the print... and iron from the back of the print.

 

At all times be careful. 100+ year old wet paper can be fragile. Don't scrub or rub as most steel plate engraving pigments have had all their oil properties lost to time and it is merely pigment remaining on the prints.  And naturally practice, first, on engravings you don't mind ruining while you learn how to hand tint antique prints (anyone wanting practice engravings can usually obtain common, damaged, etc. engravings from eBay sellers at a very cheap cost). And of course have FUN with coloring!  ...RRParks