drypoint, an engraving method in which the design to be printed is scratched directly into a copperplate with a sharply pointed instrument. Lines in a drypoint print are characterized by a soft fuzziness caused by ink printed from a burr, a rough ridge of metal thrown up on each side of the furrow of the drypoint line.

How is a drypoint artwork created?

To create a drypoint, the artist draws onto a metal plate using a hard tipped needle known as a burr. The pressure and burr with influence how the final piece appears.

What is drypoint in engraving?

Drypoint is the form of engraving that contemporary artists use the most. Drypoint lines are simply scratched into a plate with a sharp point. The scratching doesn't remove the metal but throws it up as a burr and makes a ridge similar to the ridge of earth thrown up when a plow goes through a field.