Drypoint
Woman in Cafe and Surlingham Ferry - looking towards Norwich, drypoints by Lesser Ury and Edward
Thomas Daniell, showing the typical rich lines produced by burring
Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate (or
"matrix") with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. In principle, the method is
practically identical to engraving. The difference is in the use of tools, and that the raised ridge along the
furrow is not scraped or filed away as in engraving.[1] Traditionally the plate was copper, but now acetate,
zinc, or plexiglas are also commonly used. Like etching, drypoint is easier to master than engraving for
an artist trained in drawing because the technique of using the needle is closer to using a pencil than the
engraver's burin.
The term is also used for inkless scratched inscriptions, such as glosses in manuscripts.
Lines and burrs
The lines produced by printing a drypoint 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
drypoint from other intaglio methods such as etching or engraving which produce a smooth, hard-edged
line. 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 drypoint 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. This technique is different from engraving, in which the incisions are
made by removing metal to form depressions in the plate surface which hold ink, although the two
methods can easily be combined, as Rembrandt often did. Because the recurring pressure of printing soon
destroys the burr, drypoint is useful only for comparatively small editions; as few as ten or twenty
impressions with burr can be made, and after the burr has gone, the comparatively shallow lines will wear
out relatively quickly. Most impressions of Rembrandt prints on which drypoint was used show no burr,
and often the drypoint lines are very weak, leaving the etched
portions still strong. To counter this and allow for longer print
runs, electroplating (called steelfacing by printmakers) can harden
the surface of a plate and allow the same edition size as produced
by etchings and engravings.
History
The technique appears to have been invented by the Housebook
Master, a south German 15th-century artist, all of whose prints are
in drypoint only. Among the most famous artists of the old master
print, Albrecht Dürer produced 3 drypoints before abandoning the
technique; Rembrandt used it frequently, but usually in
conjunction with etching and engraving. As intaglio techniques,
they can all be used on the same plate. Alex Katz used this process Mary Cassatt, Woman Bathing,
to create several of his famous works, such as "Sunny" and "The drypoint combined with aquatint,
Swimmer". 1890–01
In the 20th century many artists produced drypoints, including
Max Beckmann, Milton Avery, Hermann-Paul and Martin Lewis.
By adding aquatint work on the plate and inking with various
colours, artists such as Mary Cassatt have produced colour
drypoints. Canadian artist David Brown Milne is credited as the
first to produce coloured drypoints by the use of multiple plates,
one for each colour.[2] On the West Coast of the United States the
respected printmaker Pedro Joseph de Lemos simplified the
methods for producing drypoints in art schools.[3]
Contemporary artists who have extensively used drypoint include
Louise Bourgeois, Vija Celmins, William Kentridge and Richard
Spare.
Types of needles
Stanisław Masłowski, ca 1905,
Any sharp object can theoretically be used to make a drypoint, as Portrait of Artist's Wife, drypoint,
long as it can be used to carve lines into metal. Dentistry tools, 11.5x7.7 cm, National Museum in
nails, and metal files can all be used to produce drypoints. Warsaw
However, certain types of needles are created specifically for
drypoints:
Diamond-tipped needles carve easily through any metal and never need sharpening, but
they are expensive.
Carbide-tipped steel needles can also be used to great effect, and are cheaper than
diamond-tipped needles, but they need frequent sharpening to maintain a sharp point. Steel
needles were traditionally used.
Printing processes
Printing is essentially the same as for the other intaglio techniques,
but extra care is taken to preserve the burr. After the image is
finished, or at least ready to proof, the artist applies ink to the
plate with a dauber. Too much pressure will flatten the burrs and
ruin the image. Once the plate is completely covered with a thin
layer, a small scraper or card is gently used to remove excess ink.
Then, a tarlatan cloth tightly wrapped in a spherical shape will be
used to wipe away excess ink, by slowly yet firmly rubbing the
smooth side of the sphere on the plate in small circular motions.
Paper (typically pages from old phone books) may be used for a
final wipe of the lightest areas of the image. Some printmakers
will use their bare hand instead to wipe these areas. Once the
desired amount of ink is removed, the plate is run through an
etching press along with a piece of dampened paper to produce a Pablo Picasso, 1909, Two Nude
Figures (Deux figures nues), steel-
print.
faced drypoint on Arches laid paper,
13 x 11 cm, printed by Delâtre,
A dampened paper may be produced by soaking a piece of
Paris, published by Daniel-Henry
printing paper, or any other papers that are slightly water-
Kahnweiler
absorbent but are not water soluble, into a tray of water for about 5
minutes. Afterwards, the paper is laid onto a towel and dabbed dry.
The moist paper allows ink to be drawn out from the burred lines of the plate when it is pressed into it.
Hand-wiping techniques
Drypoint wiping techniques vary slightly from other intaglio techniques. Less pressure is applied to
achieve desirable lines, because the burrs forming the image are more fragile than etched or engraved
lines, but also because the ink rests on the plate surface, instead of pressed down into indentations. Also,
because of the characteristics of the way the burrs catch ink, the direction of the wiping matters. Ink tends
to pile up in the lee of the burr during the application of the ink and wiping with the tarlatan, so if the
printer wipes in the direction of the lines with their hand, they may remove most of the ink, leaving a
light gray line. However, if they wipe perpendicularly to the line, they can actually increase the pile of ink
on the other side of the line, darkening the printed line.
References
1. Glossary of Printmaking Terms (http://www.catrais.org/catraisorg/Glossary.html)
2. David Milne (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/david-brown-milne), The
Canadian Encyclopedia
3. Edwards, Robert W. (2015). Pedro de Lemos, Lasting Impressions: Works on Paper.
Worcester, Mass.: Davis Publications Inc. pp. 66–67, 91 notes 353–354.
ISBN 9781615284054.
John Ross, The Complete Printmaker, (Free Press, 1990), 82–88.
Carol Wax, The Mezzotint: History and Technique (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990)
External links
Prints & People: A Social History of Printed Pictures (http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/
compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/94303/rec/1), an exhibition catalog from The
Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on
drypoint
Arne Bendik Sjur (http://drypoint.no), one of the greatest drypoint printmakers from Europe. Visit
http://drypoint.no
or http://drypoint.art
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