I googled ‘soft earther’ and got this: 1 : a mixture of ordinary etching ground usually with tallow or grease that is used chiefly to obtain textural lines and effects on the plate by pressing cloth or similar material into the ground or by drawing with a pencil on a piece of paper laid over it.
I googled ‘soft earther’ and got this: 1 : a mixture of ordinary etching ground usually with tallow or grease that is used chiefly to obtain textural lines and effects on the plate by pressing cloth or similar material into the ground or by drawing with a pencil on a piece of paper laid over it.
I guess this is an ‘inside’ joke? :)