Making Monotypes

I did another printmaking workshop recently, this time making monotypes, where you paint or draw onto an acetate plate, with ink or oil paint, and then print it—making a one-off, ‘mono’, image. Unfortunately, I am not as happy with what I created as I was back in January, when I made an intaglio etching that I was very proud of. Yet I thought I would share the rough results of this workshop here, for there is certainly potential in this technique.

My first print, based upon a photo of a grey fantail I took earlier in the year, turned out a little too pale. Though I do like the texture on the branch, formed simply with the bristles of the paintbrush. (My second print, an attempt at a darker version, was a write-off.)

Later in the day, at a loss for ideas, I decided to use my backup image (the same tree I had used for my etching), and try the subtractive technique: inking up the plate, and then removing ink to create the image. The result has a certain drama, though there are areas where I removed too much ink, and other areas where I didn’t remove enough.

Finally, I had just enough time to do another print, painting over the ghost of the image that remained on my plate.

Although we made use of the press in the Etching Studio at the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum, it is possible to make monotypes without a press. Thus, I am considering how I could experiment with this technique at home. Maybe, in time, I will have more, better, work to share.