NES Art (503) Practice Test

Which statement correctly describes etching in printmaking?

It uses a raised surface to apply ink.

It involves carving away the surface to create raised lines.

It uses acid to cut lines into metal plates.

Etching relies on a chemical bite. A metal plate is coated with a resistant ground, then the artist draws through it to expose lines. When the plate is put in acid, the acid eats into those exposed areas, creating incised grooves that will hold ink. After inking and wiping, the ink remains in the etched lines and transfers to paper under pressure, producing the print. This is different from relief printing, where ink sits on raised surfaces, or from a method that would leave no incised lines at all. The key idea is that acid creates the lines in the metal plate, not carved relief or a flat, unworked surface.

It prints from a flat plate with no incisions.