How to Make a Drypoint Etching from Recycled Plastic, and Print it without a Press

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Drypoint Etchings on Recycled Plastic Sheets

So far, I’ve experimented with Drypoint etching print from a Trader Joe’s biscotti container here, and a monotype print from a recycled plastic blueberry container here. In this post, we’ll go over how to make a Drypoint Etching (also known as a drypoint engraving) from a plastic lettuce container, and we’ll keep the process super simple. We’ll print the Drypoint without a press, by using a cereal spoon.

Etching and Engraving Tools

Plastic printmaking plates are soft enough to engrave with a sewing needle taped to a chop stick. But if you have the means to get a twisted scribe (see them here on Amazon), I’d recommend adding one to your art supplies.

A stainless scribe will make engraving plastic (or traditional copper) plates much easier, and you’ll have it for the rest of your art-making life.

Recycled Plastic Produce Containers Make Great Drypoint Plates

With a sharp tip held like a pencil, you can draw directly on a sheet of smooth recycled plastic to create a drypoint etching.

If drawing is not your jam, you can lay a photograph underneath your plate, and trace the shapes onto the plastic. (If you do this, it’s a good idea to tape both the photo and the plate to the table to keep the two sandwiched in place while you’re drawing.)

And if holding a scribe or an engraving needle for long periods of drawing time results in aches or pain, you can also use an electric engraver (like this one) to speed up the process.

If You Need a Reason to Buy Cookies

I hope you’ll try this drypoint etching process on a recycled cookie container. It’s fun, relatively quick, and you can print an entire edition at your kitchen table.Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried making one, and leave a link where we can see yours. Also, feel free to leave any questions about the process.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next post!

Belinda

P.S. Watch printmaker Karen Wicks pull two tiny drypoint etchings made from a medication packaging box.

Art Quote

Unsen Mountain is a woodblock print (ca 1927) by Hiroshi Yoshida. Yoshida was an avid traveler, outdoorsman, and hiker, and he captured the beauty of various scenes through these prints. He took inspiration from 19th-century European watercolorists and added Japanese traditional ink painting themes to depict the landscapes. This print (10 x 16) captures the Unsen Mountain from across a river. The low tide of the river exposes the surrounding sand and terrain. Many people are on the sand in their swimming suits and boats are portrayed in the center of the print. The size of the mountains contrasts the small size of the people and emphasizes human interaction with nature. Yoshida also uses this print to depict one of the pastimes of people.

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Supply List to Make a Drypoint Etching from Plastic

• Recycled Plastic squares or rectangles from fruit, baked goods or candy containers

• Plexiglass (if you can’t find recycled plastic – try perspex, optix, lexan, etc.)

• Twisted Scribe (or Whistler’s Needle)

• Cork Handled Etching Needle/Scribe (this one was used in the video)

• Carbide Point Etching Needle/Scribe

• Akua Ink starter set

• Akua MagMix (modifier to thicken the ink)

• Akua Transparent Base (this modifier thins the color in any of your pigments to print very soft and transparent)

• Tarlatan Wiping Cloth

• Storage jars for leftover ink

• Rubber gloves

• Apron (this is my favorite linen apron, ever)

• Putty knife/scraper (for mixing ink colors)

• Printmaking paper BFK Rives paper (lightweight) for use with hand rub/transfer (*recommended if you plan to add wet media like watercolor*)

• If you won’t be adding wet media, you can try Japanese kozo paper

• tarlatan and newsprint for wiping ink from the plate

• daubers or “dollies”: rolled strips of felt for ink application

• (Visit this post if you’d like instructions on how to make a felt dauber for intaglio printmaking.)

• or you can use bristle paint brushes

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