Drypoint Printing The Pythia

The Pythia

Drypoint print on paper 5 x 8 in

Drypoint is an intaglio printing method wherein an image is incised into a hard plate, usually copper (or in this case, plexiglass).

The image is scratched into the surface using a sharp stylus. The plate is then covered with ink and wiped clean, with the incised lines retaining ink in their grooves.

This plate is then run through a printing press with a dampened sheet of paper on top. The paper is dampened so that it is pliable enough to be forced into the grooves of the plate by the pressure of the press.

Unlike other intaglio methods, like etching and engraving, the incised lines of the drypoint plate are shallow and depend for inking on the sharp raised burr along their edges. As the plate is used the burr deteriorates. As such, only a few prints can be pulled from a drypoint plate.

However, even a used plate retains a ghost of its incised image and this can form the basis for further development.

New lines are scratched into the plate over the old, and the combination of the old dull lines with the fresh dark lines produces a richer tonal range. Each stage of development in the plate is known as a state, and each state represents a separate edition of the print.

The plate continues to be workable in this way so long as the artist can continue to scratch the surface. Too many incisions across a given area can lead to pitting and cracking.

That's how Drypoint is done. Thank you for reading.

This print depicts a woman experiencing a visionary state, in which she is mentally abstracted from her physical environment. It is named for The Pythia, the priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The Pythia was believed to be a medium for divine prophecy, delivered to her in ecstatic trance.

This print is available in each of its first two states. 4 prints are available of each, $45 a piece.

Comments

How to Paint a Landscape in Oil

This is a landscape painted with oil on paper. It was painted from a photograph and the subject is a pond in Central Park. The visual theme is "distance" and all of my choices were made in order to communicate and stress the illusion of space. The painting was made in four layers, with a few days between each one to allow the paint to dry. I am going to describe the process of each layer. STEP 1 The first step is to block in the large shapes. This is a means of mapping out the composition, choosing which objects will be included and which omitted. The exact tones used at this stage are not absolutely critical but are an approximation of the target colors. Since they will serve as a substrate for subsequent layers, I mixed them lighter and duller than my target colors. That way they won't dominate subsequent layers by showing through and altering the color of those layers—at least no more than I want them to. STEP 2 The next layer of paint is ...

Carolus Duran, John Singer Sargent and the "Indispensable" in Art

Carolus Duran taught that, “In art, all that is not indispensable is unnecessary." Carolus Duran, Mademoiselle de Lancey I agree with Carolus, but the word "indispensable" is hard to define in art, and basically amounts to: that which is important to the artist . As such, it is difficult to tell how strictly Carolus adhered to his own principle. Especially in portrait art, an artist is inundated with the particulars of his sitter's personality, and does not necessarily have free reign to paint only that which he cherishes. Nevertheless, Carolus Duran proved canvas after canvas that he was devoted to producing clear, essentialized images. Duran, Spanish Woman His student, John Singer Sargent was equally devoted to this idea, particularly in regard to the depiction of tones, which was Duran’s special insight and concern in teaching. Duran taught that: “Objects in nature relieve one against each other by the relative values of light and shade which accompany and are...

Edgar Alwin Payne's Landscape, Canyon de Chelly

Edgar Alwin Payne, Canyon de Chelly , specific date unknown, ca. before 1947 Nature falls into the happy rhythm of human steps in this beautifully romanticized oil painting by Edgar Alwin Payne. The cliffs provide the wanderers a pleasant shade, while the clouds shine benevolently in the sky. The shadows in the background are like children peeking around corners to see what the grown-ups are doing. The way the light rakes across the rock face, it makes the cliffs appear to be follow the wayfarers around the curve of the valley. The way the rocks sink back into themselves counters this forward rhythm and creates the impression that they are reluctantly curious about the horsemen. The clouds overhead seem less connected to the wanderers but are playful with each other. Continuing the horizontal rhythm of the rock walls, the clouds have a peculiar shape that draws one in to wonder what Payne was trying to communicate. Though the clouds s...

Andrew Sandberg's Fine Art

Search This Blog