Dry point engraving

dry point engraving is an artistic technique. It is similar to that of the burin engraving.

History

The technique has been known since the Renaissance, when it could have been developed by the Master of the House Book, an incidental name given to a still unknown painter and graphic artist who worked in the Southwest from Germany, near Mainz, between the 15th and 16th centuries. This artist produced with this technique, which was unknown until then. Drypoint was a free expression technique in the 17th and 18th centuries, sometimes despised by artists. publishers given its lower profitability compared to the burin. Rembrandt was an enthusiast of it, compared to Dürer, who used it in three works. In the evolution of Rembrandt's engraved work, drypoint was integrated into the plates worked in etching, in many cases coming to predominate over it and in others it ended up being the main technique of the plate. This aspect of the dry point complementing other procedures should be highlighted, since its direct and emotional execution allows to soften, smoothly or highlight any engraving executed with another technique.

In contemporary times it is a technique widely used by engraving artists.

Technique

The artist draws the image onto a sheet of zinc, copper, untreated, or acrylic or plastic using an instrument that looks like a pencil, with a diamond tip, or just sharp metal. As the incision is made, a groove is produced, raising on both sides a kind of soft metal ridges called "burrs" or "burrs". The burrs can occur on one side of the line or groove, or on both sides, depending on the angle of attack (tilt of the tip) with respect to the surface. If working at an approximate angle of 45º, the burr is made on the complementary angle. If you work at about 90º, the tip perpendicular to the surface, you will get a burr on both sides of the line.

These burrs retain a certain amount of ink and give the drypoint line a rich, velvety look. But if you want to give a firm and clear appearance, it is best to remove the burrs, without damaging the groove. The burrs are delicate and wear out with the continuous pressure of the press, which is why print runs of more than 20 or 30 copies are not allowed. To reduce the wear of the burrs, which also occurs during the inking and ink cleaning process, it is possible to subject the plate to an electrolytic bath, with which a harder metal is provided. This process is called steeling.

As in the aquatint etching process, drypoint printing is done by inking the plate, cleaning it, placing a damp paper on it and introducing it into the press.