Introduction to Intaglio Printing

Intaglio printing involves incising or scratching grooves into a plate, pushing ink into the carved grooves, and wiping ink off of the uncarved areas of the plate. This is the technique used in the etchings made by the old masters and this workshop will teach a modern, non-toxic version of intaglio printing.

In this workshop, we will use thin acrylic plates, which we will scratch with styluses or etching needles to incise an image or a design into their surface. Then, we will apply oil-based ink to the plate, pushing it into the grooves we have carved. Next, we will learn wiping techniques to remove ink from the unscratched surface of our plates. Wiping the plate in the intaglio process leaves a soft plate tone, where we can create shading effects by selectively wiping some areas of the plate more than others. Finally, we will print our images onto soaked printmaking paper using the etching press.

This class is a great introduction to printmaking and using the studio's etching press. The class will include an overview of the history of intaglio printing, different types of intaglio printing, such as etching and aquatint, and examples of intaglio artwork.

Details

• You are encouraged to bring ideas for the image or design you would like to scratch onto your plate. Our plates will be 8" x 10".
• Bring a lunch. BARN has a microwave and refrigerator on the lower level.

Project

Materials

Instructors or Guides