Final answer:
The technique described is known as etching, involving coating a metal plate with wax, drawing through the wax to expose metal, and then etching the design with an acid bath.
Step-by-step explanation:
Technique of Reproducing a Design
The technique you are referring to is called etching. In this process, a protective wax-based coating is applied to a metal plate, and the artist uses a burin or sharp stylus to scratch an image into the wax, exposing the metal underneath. This metal plate is then submerged in an acid bath which 'etches' the exposed lines into the metal. Once etched to the desired depth, the plate is removed from the acid, rinsed, and the protective coating is cleaned off. The plate is then inked, wiped, and used to create prints of the etched design.
Examples of etched works can be found in those by Francisco Goya, who used etching to produce clear, linear qualities and biting social commentary in his images. The depth of the etching determines the quality of tones in the final print, with deeper etches resulting in darker tones.