Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Dry point etching

Why is used dry point etching

For my final piece i chose to use dry point etching as the effect from this technique fits in really well with my theme 'Drug abuse' as I feel like it has a rough effect to it and this is what I wanted for my graphic image.

What is dry point etching?

Drypoint etching is a printing process in which a plastic, glass or metal plate is etched with a design, ink is rolled and spread into the etching marks and the plate is pressed to make a printing onto paper.

What I did...

  1. I etched my design into the plate, which was my hand image.
  2. After that I scrapped the ink onto the plate.
  3. Then Using skrim I removed the excess ink from the plate so that only the design is left.
  4. When i finished that i dampened a sheet of watercolour paper and then to dry the paper off I used blotting paper until the paper was just a bit damp.
  5. Then i placed the inked plate on top of the damp paper and then I rolled that through the printing press.
  6. Finally I carefully removed the paper from the plate. 

Health and safety:
  • Keep etching tool away from fingers as it has a sharp tip.
  • Wear protective clothing such as gloves and aprons
  • When using the press make sure you keep fingers away incase you trap them in the press.
  • When using the press make sure you use the handle provided. 
  • Clear up excess ink after printing is complete and clear up any spillages caused by dampening paper.


Limitations of dry point etching:
  • Ink runs when adding extra media like watercolour.
  • Takes a long time to reproduce. 
  • Not every print is the same. 

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