Printmaking and the Giant Pear

For the last two sessions of my printmaking class we have been working with a technique called "drypoint".   This involves scratching a plate, in this case aluminum, with a needle and then inking it with Carbonnel etching ink and running it through a press.  Our teacher gave us some little 4 by 4 inch pieces of aluminum to practice scratching on.  I did a pear, then carried on with a teapot, teacup, cherries and more random doodles.   I was totally amazed when we printed it.  Had I been thinking about drawing something perfectly for a series of prints, I could never have gotten this whimsical atmosphere.  I love how the printing technique produces an aged and weathered look. 

I'll probably be putting some of my prints in my shop, but for now they are too new.  I haven't numbered them or signed them yet.  Maybe when they're a little older I'll let them go out into the world.