Diana Hatchitt Fine Art Mezzotint Printmaking

I fell in love with printmaking while pursuing a degree at Indiana University, 1998-2006.

I am particularly drawn to organic forms which lend themselves well to the Mezzotint process. Manipulating the copper plate to bring an image to the surface is a fulfilling experience from the beginning steps of plate preparation to the final pull of the print, I find pure enjoyment.  

The Mezzotint process begins with creating a rough surface across the copper plate with a rocker tool. Using drawing tools, scrapers and burnishers, the plate is carved to reveal a particular image. The plate is inked and wiped and manually passed through a printing press transferring the ink onto a cotton fiber paper. Color inks are applied  by hand before each run through the press or hand colored with watercolor after. 

The relief engravings are printed from a hard plastic surface, using the traditional wood engraving technique. This technique allows the line to command the image, as in expressing my fascination with nests, using engraving tools to carve into the plastic plate. The plate is inked and printed on to Japanese papers. Some papers are colored through the Suminigashi method and other prints have been hand colored with watercolors.