Drypoint

Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate (or "matrix") with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point.

This technique is different from engraving, in which the incisions are made by removing metal to form depressions in the plate surface which hold ink, although the two methods can easily be combined, as Rembrandt often did.

To counter this and allow for longer print runs, electroplating (called steelfacing by printmakers) can harden the surface of a plate and allow the same edition size as produced by etchings and engravings.

Among the most famous artists of the old master print, Albrecht Dürer produced 3 drypoints before abandoning the technique; Rembrandt used it frequently, but usually in conjunction with etching and engraving.

[2] On the West Coast of the United States the respected printmaker Pedro Joseph de Lemos simplified the methods for producing drypoints in art schools.

[3] Contemporary artists who have extensively used drypoint include Louise Bourgeois, Vija Celmins, William Kentridge and Richard Spare.

However, certain types of needles are created specifically for drypoints: Printing is essentially the same as for the other intaglio techniques, but extra care is taken to preserve the burr.

Then, a tarlatan cloth tightly wrapped in a spherical shape will be used to wipe away excess ink, by slowly yet firmly rubbing the smooth side of the sphere on the plate in small circular motions.

Once the desired amount of ink is removed, the plate is run through an etching press along with a piece of dampened paper to produce a print.