Instead of lines being bitten by the acid bath, in this process whole areas are exposed to the acid to give a texture to the surface of the plate. The area to be etched is first lightly dusted with powdered resin and heated to melt it so it will adhere. It is then placed in the acid bath to etch away the tiny areas not protected by the granulated resin

This results in a sandpaper like texture which prints as shades of gray, or tints of color if colored ink is used. Most often aquatint is used in combination with engraving or etching. However there are occasional rare examples of pure aquatint. It is a demanding and difficult technique that can take years to master but the end result is a print that can have a light and transparent quality like a watercolor.