Wellimean, I am using the proper tools for drypoint. Also you aren't really working "in the negative". The line you scratch is what becomes dark. You are however working a mirrored image and that can be frustrating.
US currency uses a print making technique called engraving. It's sorta like drypoint except the artist uses different types of tools and the type of groove the tools make is a little different.
In drypoint, the tool you use kicks up burrs on edges of all the grooves you make. After about 10 prints, the quality of the prints start to decrease. The burrs get mashed down into the grooves, therefore the grooves hold less ink and that means the lines get lighter. The tools used in engraving don't create burrs; that means engraved plates can be used hundreds of times without affecting the print quality.
btw, I got a C on the assignment, which frankly I deserved. This next print I'm working on will be much better.
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