The paper is forced into the grooves and pulls out the ink, printing an impression. A damp sheet of paper is laid on the plate, and the two are run through a press. The plate surface is covered with an ink layer and then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incisions. IntaglioĪn intaglio is printed from a copperplate with an incised design. A single matrix can be printed repeatedly to generate multiple impressions. The printed sheet is called an impression. This matrix, which can be a copperplate, stone, or woodblock, is then inked and printed, transferring the design in mirror image onto a sheet of paper.
To make a print, an artist creates a design on a flat surface called a matrix. We also compiled a list of printmaking terms and definitions, below. To get a better understanding of how Kollwitz made her intaglio prints, we turned to master printer Jacob Samuel, lecturer in the Department of Art at the UCLA, who demonstrated some of the processes Kollwitz used.
#Intaglio print trial
It includes sequences of rare preparatory drawings, working proofs, and trial prints, which reveal how Kollwitz tirelessly worked through numerous drafts of a composition, often experimenting with different printmaking processes, in order to achieve an image with which she was satisfied. The exhibition brings attention to the artist’s creative process, while also revealing the depth of her social and political engagement. This is different than a relief technique, like a woodcut, in which the ink adheres to the raised portion of the wood, or a planographic technique, like lithography, in which the ink adheres to a drawing on the flat surface of the stone.Ĭurrently on view at the Getty Center, Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics gives viewers an opportunity to see how this German printmaker created prints in a variety of techniques. When ink is applied to the plate, it is held in the incisions and then the inked image is transferred onto the paper. An artist can incise, or cut, a design onto the surface of the copperplate. You can expect to be able to make about 10-15 prints from a drypoint whereas an etching can produce up to many more prints.Test plate and print by Jacob Samuel, July 2019Īn intaglio print is an image printed on paper from a copperplate. There is also a difference in the printing: the burr thrown up by scratching into the plate is fragile and will not stand up to repeated wiping, eventually wearing down until a just a thin and unsatisfying line is left. The difference between drypoint and etchings are clear when you use a magnifying glass: drypoint lines are softer and have blurry edges, etched lines are more crisp and often have a slight wobble because of how the image is drawn onto the plate, using a thin needle on a shiny metal plate.
Like etchings, the plate is covered with ink and then carefully wiped away before printing, leaving ink only in the scratches. Unlike etchings where grooves are made through the use of chemicals, the artist manually scratches into the plate to create rough areas (burr) which hold the ink. Drypoint is a different way of creating an intaglio print which, like an etching, is all about fine lines and delicate marks.
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