A wonderfully exact parallel to Nature-printing is seen in almost every coal bed. In the coal are found impressions of various leaves, mostly ferns, and so exact are they, that the different species have been determined and named with as much accuracy as if, instead of mere impressions, they had been the fern-leaves themselves.
Indeed, if it were needed, it would be perfectly easy to take electrotype plates from these impressions, and to treat them in exactly the same manner as those obtained in the way which has already been described.
Stippling.
We now come to another branch of Art, namely, the production of shadow in an engraving by means of Stippling, i.e. the insertion of dots instead of lines. At one time the Stipple was in great favour. Then it was almost wholly abandoned in favour of the line, and now it is much used in conjunction with the line, especially for the delicate shading of flesh tints, such as faces, female arms, &c.
In the illustration a little stippling of a cheek is shown, the dots being purposely exaggerated.
A singularly beautiful modification of the Stipple is now in use. When the engraver wishes for exceptional softness of shading, he does not content himself with mere dots, but, with the aid of his magnifying-glass, converts each dot into a tiny star with three or more rays. Thus the dots seem to melt into each other, and the requisite softness is obtained.
A very good example of this star-stipple is seen in the well-known print called “Coming of Age.” If the face and neck of the girl in the foreground be examined with a magnifying-glass, the apparent dots will be seen to be stars, so beautifully arranged that the projecting rays of one fuse themselves, so to speak, with, those of the surrounding stars, as is shown in the illustration.
Whether the engraver who hit upon this singularly effective plan took it from Nature, I cannot say, but he well might have done so, had he examined the petal of a flower through a good microscope. We all know the peculiar rich softness of a petal, and how our very best floral artists feel the impossibility of transferring it to paper.
The real reason for this special beauty lies in the star-stippling of the petal. The whole surface of the petal is covered with multitudinous projections, which are, in fact, undeveloped hairs. These projections are wrinkled down the sides, and so, when viewed from above, they present the curious star-like appearance shown on the right hand of the illustration.