Spit Bite Aquatint

Spit bite is an alternative to bath etching as a way of biting an aquatint. To draw your image, you paint acid on a plate prepared with rosin. The acid is diluted by water mixed with spit–or with gum arabic if you prefer. The acid bites wherever it touches the plate, showing brushstrokes, drips, and dots. Spit bite aquatint resembles watercolor in the finished print.