Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A drypoint intaglio plate is similar to etching but it does not use acid to create the design on the plate.
A drypoint intaglio plate and print are hand etched. The design is hand-drawn directly onto the plate and it is the holes, indentations and textures created in the process that will hold the ink. The plate is then covered with a piece of soaked paper onto which the design can be transferred when passed through a press or when you rub the back of the paper with the back of a smooth metal spoon.
The term Intaglio.
Intaglio, in visual arts, is one of the classes of printmaking techniques. In the Intaglio method, the design is printed from the recessed areas of the plate, the engraved, etched, drypoint, collaged or otherwise textured areas of the plate.
Unlike relief printing, (this relies on the inked surface of the plate), an intaglio print transfers inks from the marks below the surface of the plate. The viscous printing ink is rubbed into the indentations and the surface is burnished clean.
The process requires dampened paper to be pressed or embossed into the recesses of the plate and so the plate is placed onto the bed of an etching press and rolled between two heavy rollers that are under pressure. Soft, smooth and even felt blankets are placed on top of the printing paper to help to press the paper into these inked recesses pulling the ink from the indentations and transferring the design.
It is possible to get a print by applying pressure carefully with the back of a metal serving spoon, but I would recommend using a felt blanket between the spoon and the paper as force is required and the blanket will protect the paper as well as help to press the paper into the design.
louisejannetta.co.uk/workshop
Key Moments/Timestamps
00:00 - intro
01:40 - Drypoint drawing and intaglio explained.
03:10 - Start of Demo
04:25 - Hand drawn drypoint demo, silent and at a quick speed.
13:38 - Inking up process and tools
14:30 - Inking silver birches
17:00 - Inking Copper beech silent and at a quick speed.
18:44 - Paper for printing type and preparation
19:45 - Press and preparing the bed.
20:40 - Placing plates onto the bed of the press
22:15 - Passing the bed through the rollers
22:50 - The great reveal
24:23 - Drying the prints
25:50 - Ending and thank you for watching.
A drypoint intaglio plate is similar to etching but it does not use acid to create the design on the plate.
A drypoint intaglio plate and print are hand etched. The design is hand-drawn directly onto the plate and it is the holes, indentations and textures created in the process that will hold the ink. The plate is then covered with a piece of soaked paper onto which the design can be transferred when passed through a press or when you rub the back of the paper with the back of a smooth metal spoon.
The term Intaglio.
Intaglio, in visual arts, is one of the classes of printmaking techniques. In the Intaglio method, the design is printed from the recessed areas of the plate, the engraved, etched, drypoint, collaged or otherwise textured areas of the plate.
Unlike relief printing, (this relies on the inked surface of the plate), an intaglio print transfers inks from the marks below the surface of the plate. The viscous printing ink is rubbed into the indentations and the surface is burnished clean.
The process requires dampened paper to be pressed or embossed into the recesses of the plate and so the plate is placed onto the bed of an etching press and rolled between two heavy rollers that are under pressure. Soft, smooth and even felt blankets are placed on top of the printing paper to help to press the paper into these inked recesses pulling the ink from the indentations and transferring the design.
It is possible to get a print by applying pressure carefully with the back of a metal serving spoon, but I would recommend using a felt blanket between the spoon and the paper as force is required and the blanket will protect the paper as well as help to press the paper into the design.
louisejannetta.co.uk/workshop
Key Moments/Timestamps
00:00 - intro
01:40 - Drypoint drawing and intaglio explained.
03:10 - Start of Demo
04:25 - Hand drawn drypoint demo, silent and at a quick speed.
13:38 - Inking up process and tools
14:30 - Inking silver birches
17:00 - Inking Copper beech silent and at a quick speed.
18:44 - Paper for printing type and preparation
19:45 - Press and preparing the bed.
20:40 - Placing plates onto the bed of the press
22:15 - Passing the bed through the rollers
22:50 - The great reveal
24:23 - Drying the prints
25:50 - Ending and thank you for watching.
