burin

Examples of burin in the following topics:

• Engraving

  • Engraving as a printmaking method involves cutting into a metal plate with a tool called a burin, producing grooves that will hold the ink.
  • Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a graver, or a burin, to cut the design into the surface (most traditionally a copper plate).
  • The burin acts as a plough does in the earth; it makes a furrow and turns out a shaving of metal in the same way a plough turns the soil of a field.
  • The burin is pushed through the metal, which distinguishes it from other printmaking tools such as etching needles, or acid used in other methods.
  • The burin produces a unique and recognizable quality of line that is characterized by its steady, deliberate appearance and clean edges.

• Ceramics in the Greek Archaic Period

  • Instead of painting a figure with black slip and using a burin to scrape away the slip to create details, red-figure painting has the background painted black and the figures left the red color of the terra cotta.
  • Brushes could achieve more fluid lines than a burin, so details were better rendered and figures became livelier than the black-figure silhouettes.

• Drypoint

  • Because the technique of using the needle is close to using a pencil, drypoint is easier to master for students trained in drawing than the method of engraving, which requires a special tool called a burin.