Intaglio Printmaking – A Great Medium for Nature Art

I had a wonderful opportunity in January to take an Intaglio Printmaking course at artsPlace in Canmore, AB with artist Alison Brown. I had never heard of intaglio printmaking but I fell in love with it from the first class. This technique seemed to unlock a skill in my hands I didn’t know I had… realistic nature!

What is Intaglio Printmaking?

If you would like to know more about the technique of Intaglio printmaking, the Britannica has a great and short overview.

How to Start Intaglio Printmaking

First, if you have the opportunity to take a local class – do it! This was so relaxing and fun. I met so many nice people from my community and it was fantastic to see what amazing art they created.

What I really loved about this process is that there is a lot of opportunity to make art out of recyclable materials that one could easily find around the house.

All you need for materials is:

• Intaglio Ink
• Old cardboard
• Paper
• Plastic sheets (1mm thick) for etching
• A compass for carving (or other sharp scratchy tool)
• Newspaper
• Water
• A printmaking roller press

Here’s a handy video that I watched before my class and I found it very helpful!

This print was inspired by a feature in National Geographic on the endangered monarchs.

Tips for Intaglio

• Don’t be afraid to apply ink in a “painterly fashion” I was surprised how much depth this added to my fairly simple etchings.
• Look for inspiration in magazines and books.
• Go out of your comfort zone – your hands my surprise you!
• Don’t be afraid to trace – your style will still come through in your etching as well as your ink application.
• Don’t use too much ink.
• and, don’t go too hard on the cleaning of your etched plate!

Most of these prints were inspired by the January 2024 issue of National Geographic magazine.

If you are a nature photographer and interested in collaborating with me – shoot me an email. I would love to do more of this type of work!