Dry point Printing An Engraving Process

The Dry Point Engraving Process The simplest, most direct form of intaglio printmaking is dry point engraving. This procedure is recognizable from the velvety soft lines it produces on the paper. Dry point engraving can result in superb painterly prints.

The effect of the fuzzy dry point line was first dominated by the fifteenth-century Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet. Young Man Meets Death

Young Man Meets Death circa 1485 An elegantly dressed young man stands facing a scantily-clad elderly man: Youth stands face-to-face with Death. The young man in his elegant garb is the epitome of humankind: an unblemished, healthy body, a thick head of hair and fashionable clothes. The flowers at his feet symbolize spring, his youth. The emaciated, balding Death is quite the opposite. The grass behind him is also an allusion to humanity. The snake and toad symbolize lust, which inevitably leads to decay and death.

Another master in the art of dry point engraving was Rembrandt, who often combined this with other techniques.  The Three Crosses 1653, State III, dry point and line engraving

Notice the difference between State III and State IV Notice the difference between State III and State IV. State IV has additional dry point engraving. State III State IV

In the nineteenth century, dry point etching was extremely popular In the nineteenth century, dry point etching was extremely popular. With its array of its atmospheric effects, artists such as Whistler were enthusiastic users of the technique. Pierrot (Oudezijds Achterburgwal), 1889, Dry-point and etching

Pierrot (Oudezijds Achterburgwal), 1889 The back of a house reflected in the water of an Amsterdam canal. There are two people in the doorway on the waterfront: a man leaning against a post (a dreamy figure, perhaps the Pierrot of the title?) and a woman leaning over the water. The building and the water are rendered with rough areas of hatching which leave large areas of black. A vague reflection of the two figures is visible in the water. Whistler made this print in 1889, when he spent two months in the Netherlands. He found the rivers and canals inspiring and was especially enthralled by Amsterdam. In a series of prints he recorded his favorite parts of the city: the picturesque canals of the slum areas with their dilapidated houses and rows of washing lines.  

How to make a dry point print

The lines produced by printing a dry point are formed by the burr thrown up at the edge of the incised lines, in addition to the depressions formed in the surface of the plate.

A larger burr, formed by a steep angle of the tool, will hold a lot of ink, producing a characteristically soft, dense line that differentiates dry point from other intaglio methods

The size or characteristics of the burr usually depend not on how much pressure is applied, but on the angle of the needle. A perpendicular angle will leave little to no burr, while the smaller the angle gets to either side, the larger the burr pileup. The deepest dry point lines leave enough burr on either side of them that they prevent the paper from pushing down into the center of the stroke, creating a feathery black line with a fine, white center. A lighter line may have no burr at all, creating a very fine line in the final print by holding very little ink.

Using your etching needle (Whistler’s Twist) begin drawing your image onto the surface of your 8” X 10” beveled plexi-glass plate. Make sure to not remove the burrs pulled up by striking the plate with the needle point. You may place a drawing behind the plexi-glass and use it as guide for your drawing.

1. To ink the plate you must carefully scrape the ink across the surface of the plate using a piece of paper cardstock. 2. Then wipe with tarletan. 3. Remove any surface ink with phonebook paper or newspaper. Do not use paper towels or brown paper

Place your plate face up on the press bed Place your plate face up on the press bed. You must dampen and blot your paper. Place the paper on your plate and run through the press. *Be sure to use brown paper underneath your plate and on top of your dampened paper.

And pull your print!