Drypoint is an intaglio printmaking technique in which the artist draws directly into a metal plate with a sharp, pointed tool, no acid, no chemistry. As the point cuts the metal it throws up a small ridge of displaced material along each line, known as the burr. This burr holds extra ink and gives drypoint its instantly recognisable soft, velvety line.
Drypoint sits alongside etching and engraving as one of the classic intaglio methods, but its directness and very limited editions make it especially prized by collectors.
The artist works directly on a metal plate, copper, zinc, or a modern plastic, using a sharp drypoint needle, often diamond- or carbide-tipped. As the needle incises each line, it scrapes up a curl of metal alongside it: the burr.
When the plate is inked, ink fills both the incised line and the rough burr. After wiping, ink remains trapped in the line and clinging to the burr. The plate is pressed firmly against damp paper, transferring a dense, slightly fuzzy mark with a characteristic soft halo.
The burr is everything in drypoint. It distinguishes the drypoint line from the cleaner mark of etching or engraving, giving it a soft, feathered, atmospheric quality.
But the burr is fragile. It wears down under the pressure of the press, so the line softens and thins after a few dozen impressions. This is why drypoint editions are typically very small, often no more than twenty or thirty signed and numbered prints, with the earliest impressions carrying the strongest burr.
Drypoint rewards close looking. Under good light you should be able to see the soft feathering of the burr along each line. Because of the tiny edition sizes and the irreproducible character of the burr, drypoint prints can be a particularly rewarding entry into print collecting.
At Byard Art, we represent printmakers working in drypoint among other intaglio techniques, with each impression signed and numbered by the artist.
