Intaglio examples
It is an ancient artform, believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, but is a craft which is widely considered to have reached is peek at the hands of the ancient Greeks and was continued by the Romans.ĪN 18TH CENTURY MOUNTED 5TH/6TH CENTURY SASSANIAN CARNELIAN INTAGLIO RING the convex carnelian intaglio carved with a Chimera amongst various Roman phallic and other symbols in a reeded yellow gold mount with bifurcated shoulders and plain shank | Ring size: R, intaglio diameter: 11.5mm | Provenance: Lots 111 - 119 from a private collection. In its most basic form, intaglio refers to the engraving cut into the flat face of a stone which when pressed into wax or clay, leaves an impression in relief. For more artistic advice, inspiration and projects every month, take out a print or digital subscription.The coveting and collecting of rare objects and exquisite craftsmanship is a preoccupation mankind has pursued since as far back in history as we are able to stretch, and the intaglio is no exception. This article featured in Artists & Illustrators magazine.
INTAGLIO EXAMPLES HOW TO
Blot most of it off the surface with rags or newspaper.ĥ. Scrape a thin layer of intaglio printing ink evenly across the whole plate, making sure it gets into the grooves. If you use ordinary mountboard, you need to varnish it first using button polish.
Improvise with tools: you may have embossing or sculpture tools, sewing needles or nails lying around the house – try them all.Ĥ Scrape on the inks If you are using laminated card then you can ink your plate up straight away. Sandpaper can create interesting textures or an impression of shading. And don’t forget that your image will print in reverse!ģ Don't just scratch the surface Experiment by using other tools to make marks in the surface. You need to break the surface of the card to create the burr that will hold the ink later. Try something small, between A5 and A6 size, for convenience.Ģ Transfer the Image Plan or transfer your image onto the plate using tracing paper and a soft pencil or, if you want to keep the freshness, just grab your drawing tool and get going. You can draw into ordinary mountboard instead and then varnish it with button polish before using it to print. A DIY print can be created using drypoint card or any card that is laminated on one side (like card from a cereal box) for the plate, a nail or other sharp implement to make the drawing, and a rolling pin, bayer or hand-made palm-press to press it.ġ Prepare the plate Drypoint or intaglio printing card is available from printing shops and is simply cardboard that is laminated on one side. If you don’t have access to a press, don’t despair – it’s still possible to try at home. If you are serious about intaglio printmaking, you will want to find a studio with a press. The force of the printing press then squeezes out the remaining ink and the image is transferred onto the paper – this requires tremendous pressure that cannot be applied by hand (hence the necessity of a press).
It is then inked (as in all intaglio methods) and cleaned, leaving ink only in the crevices. Traditionally drypoint is done on copper plates with a diamond- or carbide-tipped needle. The soft, feathery lines of drypoint lend themselves to playful illustrations or expressive sketches, which can then produce an edition of prints. Whistler and Picasso are two artists worth looking at for examples of this type of work. Think of it as an etching without the acid, or engraving with an etching needle. The process is like using a pen without the ink – literally, drawing with a dry point – to create an impression of a drawing which, when inked, can be printed from again and again. On the labels of prints with scratchy, seemingly hand-drawn images, you will often see the term ‘drypoint’ but what exactly does it mean and how is it done? What is drypoint? Want to try your hand at drypoint? Our guide has everything you need to know about the printmaking technique