Experimental Drypoint

Experimental drypoint etching is an intaglio printmaking technique that involves incising a design directly onto a plate using a sharp needle or tool. Unlike traditional etching, no acid is used; instead, the artist scratches into the surface, raising a burr along the edges of the lines. This burr holds ink and creates a characteristically rich, velvety line in the final print. The process encourages creative exploration, allowing for a wide range of lines, tones, and textures. Its immediacy and tactile nature make drypoint especially well-suited for experimentation and expressive mark-making.

About the Tutor

Kris is a Midlands-based artist currently living in Wellingborough. His practice is rooted in direct observation, evolving into rhythm, gesture, and movement within my work. He aims to offer viewers a subjective truth—an invitation to engage with the abstraction that emerges from his original, documented imagery.

Observation is the starting point of Kris' process. Dissecting what he sees, transferring elements, and reassembling them into compositions that straddle representation and abstraction. Printmaking is central to his practice; its physicality and layered processes allowing him to become deeply involved in the making. Kris works across a range of techniques, drawn to the balance between control and unpredictability that print offers. The planning and process hold equal weight to the moment of revealing the final image—both are intrinsic to the meaning and satisfaction found in the work.

I have taught HE and FE for the past 25 years, ranging in a variety of creative subjects but Printmaking is my main process. I am a member of the LSA and have exhibited regularly throughout the East Midlands.