For printing the ground is removed, the plate is inked and then wiped clean. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath which “bites” or chemically dissolves the metal in the exposed lines. An etching begins with a metal plate (originally iron but now usually copper) that has been coated with a waxy substance called a “ground.” The artist creates the composition by drawing through the ground with a stylus to expose the metal. (Kate McCrickard – Childhood Scened (Bed Time Stories) – softground)Įtching has been a favorite technique for artists for centuries, largely because the method of inscribing the image is so similar to drawing with a pencil or pen.
![intaglio surface intaglio surface](https://www.dentistrytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screen_Shot_2021-09-22_at_14419_PM.png)
(Sean Slemon – Lines of Independence – hardground) See examples of works that have engraving
![intaglio surface intaglio surface](https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/a8aa09bcb8d32a4a6b67817f4866a89533562a23/4-Figure5-1.png)
The process is slow and painstaking and generally produces formal-looking results. An engraved line may be deep or fine, has a sharp and clean appearance and tapers to an end. As it is moved across the plate, copper shavings, called burr, are forced to either side of the lines being created and these are usually cleaned from the plate before inking. A burin works on a copper plate like a plough on a field. Drypoint plates (particularly the burr on them) wear more quickly than etched or engraved plates and therefore allow for fewer satisfactory impressions and show far greater differences from first impression to last.Įngraving is a process in which a plate is marked or incised with a tool called a burin. In drypoint the burr is not scraped away from the surface but stays on the surface of the plate to print a velvety cloud of ink until it is worn away by repeated printings. This technique allows the greatest freedom of line, from the most delicate hairline to the heaviest gash. The ink on the print tends to be slightly raised above the surface of the paper.ĭrypoint prints are created by scratching a drawing into a metal plate with a needle or other sharp tool. Usually the paper sheet is larger than the plate so that the physical impress of the plate edges, or the platemark, shows on the paper. The plate and a dampened sheet of paper are then run through a press which applies pressure to create the print. The plate is covered with ink and then wiped so that only the incised grooves contain ink. Intaglio comes from the Italian word intagliare, meaning, “to incise.” In intaglio printing, an image is incised with a pointed tool or “bitten” with acid into a metal plate, usually copper or zinc.
![intaglio surface intaglio surface](https://www.dr-amet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/11.Intaglio-Surface-of-Maxillary-Denture.jpg)
This is a glossary of the printmaking techniques that are used in the works presented on the MATRIX exhibition at David Krut Projects Cape Town.