Drypoint, as the name implies, is a form of intaglio printmaking by which a line is incised directly into the plate. I use a diamond point to cut into pure copper.
Because the stylus is held at an angle, ridges of burred metal are raised either side of the groove.

During the printmaking process, ink taken up by this irregularity produces the soft velvet lines which gives drypoints their much loved warmth and character. The burr wears slightly with every print, and so only a small number can be produced.

As with my pen and ink drawings, my drypoint process is a build up of single lines. During printing, while wiping the inked plate, I retain a residue of surface ink which, coupled with the softness of line, produces an antiquarian bookplate impression.

As each printing varies slightly in density, each print is a unique work of art.

Arboreta I

Arboreta II

 

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