Spit-Bite Intaglio-Type

(See Non-Toxic Intaglio Type for overall description of this process)

ImagOn Ultra is laminated to a metal plate, which is then exposed with an aquatint screen. Areas of the film are developed by hand with various concentrations of soda ash developer to produce an image. At first, spit-bite darkens an image area; if left on longer, the image area becomes lighter and then disappears. This technique is often used in combination with other image-making Non-Toxic Intaglio-Type techniques.

Variations: Stencil Intaglio-Type is a variation. After ImagOn Ultra is laminated to a metal plate, it is exposed with an aquatint screen. ImagOn Ultra’s protective mylar coating can act as a stencil if parts of it are cut away and the rest remains in place. Open areas are developed by inserting the plate in soda ash solution but covered areas where the mylar was not removed remain undeveloped. When the mylar stencil is removed, the newly open areas are hand developed with various concentrations of spit-bite to create blacks. (See spit-bite explanation above). A variation of the variation includes working the tray-developed areas with the Mezzo-Type technique to create whites.

• Keith Howard, Ground Control to Major Tom, 2003 – purchase price: $1500 - Spit-Bite Intaglio-Type
• Emily Haag, Untitled, 2003 – purchase price: $125 - Layered Intaglio – Top Layer Reversed, Spit-Bite, Lift Off
• Donna Lee Adams, Playing Around With Whites and Blacks, 2001 – purchase price: $210 - Multi-Stage with Lifting, Incising, Screen Filler Splattering, Spit-Bite, and Carborundum