Zinc Plate Etching (Dry Point)

Zinc plate etching, or dry point, is like printing a drawing using a soft metal plate and something sharp to scratch the surface. Real etching uses an acid to "bite" the the surface, but it's more complicated to obtain the acid and you need good ventilation when you do it because it's harmful to the skin and lungs. This printing method is a easy way to make very intricate details and it works the opposite of linoleum printing. It is really a very uncomplicated process to understand, but is just a little messy. The necessary tools and other things needed to make a good print are fairly easy to find. I'm not sure if you can get them at Micheal's, but they are definitely available online. Etching is something that everyone should give a try.

What to Get:
Zinc Plate
needle tool (or something sharp like a nail)
gloves
oil based ink
cheese cloth
electric heat plate
news paper (little pieces)
news print
Printing paper

How-To:
1. Make sure your zinc plate is clean and has no scratches.
2. Take the needle tool and draw the image you desire. The needle creates "burr" that help catch the ink for printing
**you can draw in sharpie first or just free hand it**
3. Once you are done, apply the oil based ink with a small piece of matte board like a squeegee.
4. Evenly swipe the cheese cloth across the plate to take away the excess ink. The ink that stays in the grooves will be what prints.
5. Soak your ____ paper in water
6. Heat the zinc plate on the heat plate for a few minutes until the ink seems to be a little thinner consistency
7. Take the paper out of the water and use other paper to dry it until it is just damp
**this helps the ink to soak into the paper easier**
8. Again, wipe the news paper across the plate evenly to get ride of even more ink
9. I don't know if I said it before but always lay the news print paper down under and on top of the plate and ____ paper when using a printing press.
10. Either run the plate through a press, rub it with your hands or a spoon, or lay books on top of it for a few minutes.
11. Last Step! Peel the paper off of the plate and allow to dry and you have yourself your very own drawn print!

Dry point allows for much more detail in a print.
http://rhsart.weebly.com/2/post/2012/04/drypoint-of-view.html