Print That

Hey guys! So, I don't have too much to dribble on about today, lucky you. Instead, I'm going to make this pretty short and sweet, as I'm a bit pressed for time. Today I'm doing a post about printmaking, specifically drypoint etching.

Junior year, '09

Senior year, '10

Mixed Media, '10

Drypoint etching is a really interesting technique in which one etches into a metal plate with a sharp tool, digging out grooves for the ink to sit in. Then, ink is rolled out and onto the plate. The excess is removed with a cloth, leaving only the ink in the grooves. A page is soaked and prepared for the print, then both are pulled through the printing press. Its a somewhat tedious method but the results can be very precise and beautiful. The name drypoint is used because typical etching involves a corrosive that eats away the grooves of the metal plate.

The advantage of any form of printmaking is that very similar prints can be pulled over and over. With metal plate prints, one can pull an identical print a bajillion and seventeen effing copies (taking into consideration that the image etched into the plate will most likely lose its crispness after many uses). Hope these inspire one of you to go out and try some printmaking :]