This process of "biting-in" and "stopping-out" is repeated several times, till the artist considers the plate finished, when the wax and varnish are carefully cleaned off, and the plate is ready to be printed from.
Dry-point etching is engraving with an etching-needle upon a plate without the use of any acid. The needle used has more of a cutting edge than the rounded point used when upon the etching ground. In dry-point the etcher commences at once upon the bare copper plate without any ground. In drawing the design the needle tears up the copper and leaves what is known as a "burr"—a ridge of copper on either side of the furrow. It is this burr which gives the quality to dry-point etchings when they are printed. This burr is removed with a scraper when dry-point is used in conjunction with "bitten-in" work.
Soft-ground etching.—This is a method in which tallow is added to the usual etching ground. The plate is grounded and smoked in the usual manner. The design, instead of being traced with a needle, is traced with a lead-pencil on a piece of grained paper, which has been stretched over the ground. The indentations on this paper and on the soft ground beneath are sufficient, when the paper is carefully removed, to enable the acid to work on the plate and reproduce the design. It was largely used at the beginning of the nineteenth century for etchings to represent crayon drawings.
Early Masters.—In pursuance of the plan laid down for this volume the great masters will be rather cavalierly treated. It will be shown later, when dealing with line engraving, that the engraver slowly
