Highlighting Techniques: Burnishing
Burnishing requires a special tool made from a hard metal (such as steel) that is used to smooth down areas on the matrix previously engraved or etched. The technique creates areas of highlighting that blend subtly with adjacent darker passages and enable a gradual transition between different aquatint tones. Goya used the technique to great effect to create highlights on the donkey depicted in Brabísimo! (Bravo!). (See figs. 28 and 29). Burnishing tools come in a variety of shapes, but the most useful one has a curved, smooth end shaped like a claw. The ‘claw’ can be turned upside down so the gentle curve is able to burnish quite large areas, or the tip can be used to precisely burnish discreet areas. In addition to producing compositional effects, it can also be used to remove unwanted lines should the artist want to change the composition.