![intaglio printmaking process intaglio printmaking process](https://images.coplusk.net/projects/118437/steps/256411/normal_2018-11-05-165008-P107%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg)
As the edition is printed, the burr becomes flattened and less distinct. This technique is usually done on soft copper plates. When inked, the burr creates a distinctive velvety appearance. Unlike engraving, in which small amounts of metal are completely removed as the lines are incised, drypoint is characterized by the curl of displaced metal, called the burr, which forms as the line is cut.
![intaglio printmaking process intaglio printmaking process](https://image1.slideserve.com/3276992/slide1-l.jpg)
A plate may be bitten several times for a range of tones.Īs with engraving, this is a process in which marks are made on a plate using a sharp, pointed instrument. This kind of surface holds various amounts of ink and prints as areas of tone. Tiny “pits” are applied to a plate and exposed to an acid bath for various lengths of time to create a pitted grainy surface. Great skill is required to manipulate the burin as it is pushed at different angles and degrees of pressure to produce a characteristic thin to thick line.Īquatint is an etching method used to create a more subtle tonal range than could be achieved with line etching techniques. The characteristics of the marks produced depend on the tool used to draw the image, the type of ground coating the plate and the length of time the plate is etched in the acid bath.įor this technique, a metal plate is incised with a tool called a burin. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath where the drawn marks are etched. A sharp needle is used to scratch the image through the ground, exposing the metal. This process uses acid to bite an image into a metal plate that is coated with an acid-resistant ground. When ink is applied to the plate, it is held in the incised image areas and wiped from the surface, then printed on a press on dampened paper. Traditionally the matrix is copper, zinc or other metal and the cutting is made with sharp hand tools or by using acid. The intaglio printmaking method is characterized by an image being cut into the surface of a plate. Paper is placed over the inked block and rubbed by hand or passed through a press to transfer the ink from block to paper to create the image. Various implements (both hand tools and power tools) can be used to cut the image into a block of wood. Woodcut is one of the oldest and simplest forms of printmaking. The image is then printed as with a woodcut. This soft material is easily carved using knives and gouges. The linoblock consists of a layer of linoleum, usually mounted on a block of wood. Wood and linoleum are traditional matrices used for relief printing. Ink is rolled over the “high” areas of the block and the image is transferred to paper. Relief printing is a generic term used to describe the process of printing from a raised surface where the non-image areas have been cut away. Even as new technologies are introduced, printmaking remains an invaluable tool for creative expression producing innovative and evocative artwork. Creating a print is a very ‘hands on’ process as the artist cuts into a block of wood or linoleum or draws into and etches a metal plate inking and printing the plates in essentially the same way that artists have done for centuries. The image is then inked up and transferred onto another surface such as paper or fabric, by hand or using a printing press. The artist creates an original print by developing an image on a surface such as wood, metal, linoleum, silkscreen, or glass. Every process, from conception to production, is done by hand unlike a reproduction, which is essentially a photographic copy of a work of art. Original prints are hand-made, hand-printed works of art that are created using a range of traditional techniques such as relief, intaglio, planographic, serigraphs and monotypes.