Drypoint from Drafting Film – Kinship

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Drypoint from Mylar

Several years ago, I read about an unnamed artist making drypoint engravings (sometimes referred to as drypoint etchings) from sheets of drafting film.

Mylar, or drafting film, is used in architectural and commercial drafting. Drafting film looks like translucent plastic; it’s made from thin, flexible polyester sheets that are available in glossy and matte surfaces.

Artists use the glossy version as an oil painting palette, or to make oil paint monotypes, and the matte version can be used like paper for drawing with colored pencil, pens, charcoal, marker and an assortment of other media.

Creating a Drypoint Engraving

I printed an edition of five drypoints from a single sheet of matte finish Dura-Lar brand drafting film.

My drypoint was incised with a cork-handled scribe, and then inked with water-based printmaking inks, wiped with tarlatan cloth, and then pressed to BFK Rives printmaking paper on an etching press.  

If you’d like more details on the process, I’ve linked a drypoint demonstration video below.

Want to make a Drypoint?

A list of supplies with links is at the bottom of this post. If you give this wonderful printmaking process a go, please come back and share links to your work in the comments so we can all see your art-making adventures.

Art Quilts

There is a lovely article with inspiring images of Deborah Boschert’s art quilts in this month’s textile artist post. Read it here.

Drypoint from Cardboard

Leonie Conellan has another drypoint demo that includes using photoshop to capture your image and then creating a drypoint from the print-out on plain old cardboard. Check that out here.

Rembrandt’s Etchings

Christies posted a beautiful little video about Rembrandt’s etchings featuring printmaker Alexander Massouras. The artist describes the difference between etching (using acid to incise the plate) and drypoint (created with a sharp point – no acid). Watch that video here.

Online Marketing Course

The most frequent question I get – face to face and via email – is about marketing. If you’re one of the curious, let me know in the comments. I took a course on marketing four years ago. It was a game changer.

The tornado of online marketing directives I harvested via searching on my own were finally, in this course, streamlined into a doable list, served in the right order, with instructions and strategies that made so much sense. (Here is one of their free instagram tip sheets.)

I’ve attended every one of their live events, and I refer to my notes from the course every week. The same instructors are opening the course online again for a limited time (it sells out) in May. Are you interested?

I hope you’re acting on your creative urges, and working with your art supplies frequently. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next post.

Happy creating,

Belinda

P.S. After *lots* of requests, I’ve added a small number of canvas wrap, square-format prints of watercolors to my etsy shop. Check those out here.

Art Quote

In an era of electronic communication, it is often forgotten that in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, illustrated books and periodicals were the only vehicle for bringing images of the world into American homes. Weekly magazines with serialized stories generated the same anticipation as a favorite weekly television program. Books by important authors were greeted with the same excitement as major motion pictures. New productions were enthusiastically reviewed, and illustrations hung next to paintings in the nation’s most prestigious exhibitions. In the years following the civil war, it was not unusual for illustrators to enjoy financial success, widespread fame and a lifestyle of luxury…

~Alice Carter – Red Rose Girls: an Uncommon Story of Art and Love

How to make a Drypoint Engraving – or Etching

The video in this post is a printmaking demonstration of a drypoint engraving (or etching) created on drafting film (also known as Mylar or Dura-Lar). Here are some links to help you get started, and a list of the supplies you’ll need to make one of your own. 🙂

Here is a playlist of videos focused on drypoint printmaking: http://bit.ly/1D3Rrs9

This video shows how to make a drypoint on plexiglass, and includes some tips on wiping the plate: https://youtu.be/5GWAHsL7Yvw

Supplies to Make a Drypoint Etching – or Engraving

Check the links below for supplies so you can make a drypoint on mylar too:

• Drawing pencils http://amzn.to/1DgCVM7

• Dura-Lar (polyester drafting film as a plate alternative) #http://amzn.to/1urklAm

• Etching needle – Twisted Scribe (or Whistler’s Needle) https://amzn.to/2XdClhB

• tarlatan for wiping ink from the plate http://amzn.to/2iL4wBU

• Daubers or “dollies”: rolled strips of craft felt for ink application http://amzn.to/1iwGsLg (see this post for instructions to make a felt dauber to ink your plates)
• or you can use bristle paint brushes http://amzn.to/1fszmKa

• Matboard https://amzn.to/2ZbnJkC

• BFK rives printmaking paper (use this if you want to add other media, like watercolor, to your print) http://amzn.to/1yMFTtc

• Japanese kozo paper – use this if you plan to leave the inks untouched, with no other wet media added to the print) http://amzn.to/1C97v9I

• Watercolors http://amzn.to/1odkaWN

• Spatula for mixing/laying out ink http://amzn.to/1sevJsW

• Akua ink starter set: https://amzn.to/2ZcAjjE
• Akua Mag Mix (thickens ink): https://amzn.to/2Zbp0bo

• Rubber gloves http://amzn.to/1bNmWvu

• Apron http://amzn.to/1fWXkIh

• Takach etching press http://www.takachpress.com/etchtbl/index.htm

If you have any questions about the process, please leave them in the comment section, and I’ll do my best to answer them quickly! Happy printing!

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