WEEK 8 _ New Territory > "Intaglio"

 New Territory _ INTAGLIO

Thus far this semester we’ve practiced “relief” printing techniques. For Print #4 we’ll explore intaglio, which requires different techniques at almost every stage of the process. 

Intaglio: In contemporary usage the term refers to any printing matrix where ink is held in recessed areas of a matrix. (So we might think of this as the inverse of relief printing where ink sits on the surface areas of the matrix.)

  

Traditional intaglio platemaking processes fall into two categories:

•   processes where lines are inscribed into a plate directly by hand, such as engraving and drypoint
•   processes which employ acids to establish images on metal, known as etching

Historically intaglio processes used soft but sturdy metals as plate matrices. Copper and Zinc plates are in common usage in most traditional etching studios. However in recent years, the desire to move away from toxic chemical processes and interest in emerging materials have led to the use of various plastics as plates. 

Pablo Picasso_ Portrait of Olga in a Fur Collar (Portrait d'Olga au col de fourrure)1923 _printed 1955

Drypoint is the most straightforward of the direct techniques and is accomplished by simply scratching into the surface of a plate with a sharp tool. As the tool is scratched across a plate, a burr is raised. In addition to the ink which is held in the incised line, this burr also traps ink, which accounts for the soft quality of the printed line.  

Drypoint plates have a limited life. This is especially true of the soft plastic plates that we will use. As the plate is printed, the burr gets flattened and holds less ink. 

Carroll Dunham _ Untitled from Shadows_ 1989

Print #4: Drypoint 

For this print you have two options in terms of theme/subject matter:

A.) Student Choice: You decide the content that you wish to explore. For those of you in Senior Studio this is an opportunity to make something that connects with the content that you're exploring in your capstone.

B.) Thematic Prompt: "Shadows & Echoes." For those of you that prefer to have a little direction and a shared point of departure. 

Design Process: Complete a minimum of 2 sketches on the provided paper. (Paper is 8 x 9"; you should create a live area of 6 x 8", which corresponds to the material that I will provide for this print).

Use a ballpoint pen and fill the entire frame. 

These are due for discussion on Monday 10.21* and will be factored into the rubric during final scoring. Do not throw them away. You will turn them in.

 

*After small group discussions you will immediately select one of your designs and translate it as is or with minor modifications to the plate that I provide following my demonstration of the drypoint technique. You will have until the following class to complete the plate and we will all print on Wednesday Oct. 23. 

TIMELINE