Glossary

mezzoprint (or mezzotint)
In printmaking, an engraving process that is tonal rather than linear, or prints produced by this process. Developed in the 17th century, mezzotint was used widely as a reproductive printing process, especially in England, until photographic processes overtook it in the mid-19th century. A copper or steel plate is first worked all over with a curved, serrated tool called a rocker, raising burrs over the surface to hold the ink and print as a soft dark tone. The design is then created in lighter tones by scraping out and burnishing areas of the roughened plate so that they hold less ink, or none in highlights. Details may be sharpened by engraving or etching in a "mixed mezzotint."
zenga
Paintings which are a part of the Zen tradition of Japanese Buddhism. Zenga are often painted by priests, and are typically ink drawings and calligraphy.
Example: Hakuin Ekaku's One Hand Clapping, 1766

zinc
A bluish-white, lustrous metallic element that is brittle at room temperature but malleable with heating. Used in galvanizing iron, it is often alloyed in making brass, bronze, various solders, and nickel silver, in manufacturing many products including various household objects. Atomic symbol Zn; atomic number 30; atomic weight 65.37; melting point 419.4° C.; specific gravity 7.133 (25°C); valence 2.

zinc white
White formed from zinc oxide, giving pure cool cover. In oil it needs much medium, and has some tendency to crack. In watercolor it's known as Chinese white.



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