Drypoint on Plexiglass, Printmaking, and Color Inking using a la poupée

This is the ink I use in my studio when I want to clean things up with soap and water. There's no need for solvents to clean your plates and tools with this ink. Carbon Black intaglio ink is a nice, rich black for great line work. And you can use watercolor on the print after the ink dries - it will not re-wet!

This is a thickening agent to mix with Akua Intaglio Inks. If the ink on your plate wipes out of the grooves and incised lines you've engraved with the needle, it might help to thicken the ink. Mag Mix adds a little more "sticky" to the ink. The pigments stay embedded in your line work a bit better with this ink modifier. You can see how I use it in many of the intaglio and drypoint tutorial videos on my youtube channel.

This is an example of the embossing machine artists and printmakers are using to print lovely, small scale drypoint and intaglio prints, as well as linocut prints. Be sure to visit the Facebook group called Craft Press Printmakers. They are doing amazing things with small die cutter and stenciling machines transformed into small printing presses.

There should always be a barrier between your skin and pigments. Wear rubber gloves (be sure to select the right size) when you mix ink, apply ink to the plate, wipe ink from the plate, and clean the ink up after you're finished printing.

This is starched cheese cloth, or open-weave muslin fabric - also known as tarlatan. It's used to wipe ink from the uppermost surface of your intaglio drypoint or etching plate.

The tip of this scribing pen will carve a narrow groove into plexiglass or recycled plastic.

This is the tool I use to pull ink from containers, and manipulate it on the slab to mix colors, or warm it up with the friction of smooshing and smearing before adding it to the plate. It's also used for scraping leftover ink together, and scooping it into little containers to use in later projects.

These spring clamps will hold your plexiglass plate steady while you score and snap it into smaller sheets. They also work perfectly for securing the plate without marring the surface while you bevel it, which you can see in a video tutorial on my YouTube channel.

This material works very well to hold your plate steady while you engrave your lines, or add cross hatching with the needle. It also works to steady any printmaking plate while you apply ink, wipe the plate, and clean it after you're finished printing. You can see it used throughout the relief and intaglio videos on my blog and on my youtube channel.

When your plexiglass arrives, you'll want to score and snap the sheet into smaller pieces to make multiple plates. This is a great tool for that process.

This 12 x 12 plate of opaque black plexiglass can be scored and snapped into smaller plates. Create four 6x6 plates from this sheet. See how to score and snap the plexiglass in the videos that are linked in this post.

This 8 inch rasp can be used to file the sharp edge of the plexiglass plate down to a 45 degree bevel. This is an important step to prepare the plate before you begin your design, if you plan to print on a press. One rasp will last you a lifetime.

If your hands get tired when doing repetitive motions like cross hatching, or pressing hard on narrow tools to incise lines in plexiglass, you can etch your plexiglass plate with this small electric Dremel.