Think of Intaglio as a family of printmaking techniques. Engraving, Etching, Drypoint, Mezzotint, and Aquatint are all members of the Intaglio family because they all print from ink held below the surface of the plate.
Step 1: Aquatint Defined. Aquatint is a printmaking technique for creating tonal areas. It uses rosin powder on a plate, which is then heated to create a porous surface. This surface allows acid to etch the plate with a fine, pitted texture. Step 2: Technique Classification. Aquatint is an Intaglio process because the ink is held in the plate's recessed areas. It's often combined with other intaglio methods like etching and drypoint to add tone to line-based images. While drypoint and mezzotint are also intaglio techniques, aquatint is a specific method within the broader intaglio category.