Drypoint Printmaking

Year 10 Art

Name: Alyana

Drypoint printmaking reflection

Use the following questions to prompt your written reflection. When you have written your reflection, post it on your blog. Use the notes I shared with you, “Drypoint Worksheet” and research “Drypoint” to help write your reflection.

1. What kind of printmaking is drypoint?
1. Relief (Woodblock and Lino-block)
2. Stencil (Silkscreen)
3. Lithography
4. Intaglio
2. How is the drypoint line created? - It is created using sharp tools—except knives—but in school, we use these really long and sharpened nails
3. What kind of lines does it produce? Are they all the same? - It depends on how hard you push or rub the sharp tools onto your plexiglass, for instance, it produces fine lines.
4. How do you hold the needle? - I think there is no rule or the exact thing to do when you're using it. But personally, I hold it like a pen or pencil.
5. What does the angle of the needle determine? - It determines the burr, larger on opposite side.
6. The greater the pressure the deeper the deeper the lines.
7. Will all marks on the surface of the plexiglass print? - Yes.
8. How do you create different tones (gradations of light and dark?) - I personally did it by not wiping all the ink on the plate and doing lines in different directions.
9. What do we wipe the ink off the plate with? - We use a rightful amount of cooking oil and rub it to the plate using paper towels or rugs.
10. What do we use to put ink onto the plate? - We use hard cardboard that is cut into pieces to spread the ink within the plate.
11. What pressure do we use when applying the ink - We should use a right amount of pressure when applying ink because too much pressure might damage the burr.
12. Compare and Contrast the two different kinds of printmaking: lino-block printmaking or drypoint. Which did you prefer? Why? - Lino printing is a relief kind of printmaking then drypoint is an intaglio. But the most noticeable difference between lino and drypoint is the materials that we use, for example, the way we cut the plates and such. In lino printing, we use a lino-block, it's a hard material. However, in drypoint we use plexiglass—soft and smooth—the lines and burr are very fragile too. Personally, I prefer doing drypoints. I felt confident doing them compared to lino, because if you made a mistake in drypoint, you could find a way to get around it and fix it unlike in lino prints. You also need some skill if you're applying ink on lino.

The right amount of ink

Over-inked

Under-inked