The process is called "Scratchboard" or "Scraperboard" and has been used
for over a century to produce "imitation wood engravings".
It uses a cardboard coated with a smooth white gesso, covered with a
lampblack pigment. A sophisticated variation was put on the market by
Gillot in France for letterpress printing. This "papier Gillot" had three
or four layers of grays which the artist would scratch away, down to the
bright white support. The effect was an intermediary step between line
engraving illustrations and true halftone engravings.
See: Cecile Curtis: _The Art of the Scratchboard_, Cincinnati, North Light
Books, 1988 (168 pp.)
I don't think I have to specify which Encyclopedia I used to pull this info;-)
If you go to your library to look it up don't forget to also check the
following related entries:
cliche-verre, etching, maniere noire, negative etched by hand, pen and ink
sketch from a photograph, photoradierung
Luis Nadeau
awef6t@mi.net
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
"Months in the lab will save you hours at the library"
>they were producing does require some drawing facility. However,
>there are other ways to produce cliche verre prints--even using Karo
>syrup.
..
> There are so many different possibilities to explore with this
>technique that insecurity over your drawing ability should't hold
>you back.
> Suzanne Izzo s_izzo@guvax.georgetown.edu