Ron also presented a class on Intaglio printing. It is the opposite of relief printing in that the printing is done from the ink that is below the surface of the plate. The design is cut, scratched or etched( we used sharpen nails) into the printing surface such as matt paper, wood, or copper.. ( we used a small piece of plexiglass) The printing in is rubbed on with a small piece of cardboard and then gently rubbed off with thin paper( we used old telephone pages). The somerset paper is briefly wet and then put between some newsprint to take of the excess water. It is then run through the press using a considerable amount of pressure.
A couple of things that I learned- when you are scratching into the plate, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO HEAR IT! Also, my paper was too dry when I finally was able to do my print( a long line up) and my print did not show up that well.
Want some inspiration? Read Rembrandt Complete Etchings.”I highly recommend it!
