Trace Monotype Printmaking (also called Transfer Drawing Monotype Prints)

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A Buoy of Kindness

Thanks for all of your generous responses to my last post. The artist-blogger community never fails to surge forward with kindness after a troubling event, or a trying time, and I’m incredibly grateful for this virtual, palpably good community. You set the bar for civility and encouragement, and I’ll do my best to reach that watermark in an attempt to pay it forward.

Extinct Art Festivals

For over a decade, I’ve visited with patrons, friends and family at upcoming art festivals here in Southern California.  As of this Spring, several art festivals have gone the way of many galleries, and tossed in the towel.

If you’ve visited the Thousand Oaks Artwalk in June, or the Thousand Oaks Arts Festival in September, we will have to hang out somewhere else, because they’ve closed down. To balance the absence of those two venues, I’ll be launching a sale in my Etsy Shop soon.

Stay tuned for more details in upcoming posts.

Sneaky Art Making

I’ve been sneakily making art whenever I can, even at the expense of other things on my To-Do list. (Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.) I’m drawing at the kitchen counter while munching salad, making notes about art projects while replying to emails, and gridding-out drawings for future watercolors on the couch while my husband and I relax together after dinner.

I made this trace monotype awhile ago, and it’s been pinned to my art-board in the studio, whispering at me to finish her.

Since the reference photo was taken in the late 1950’s of my mother in law, the urge to work on the monotype was strong this week. I laid the first washes of watercolor on the paper while making phone calls, and added wispy lines of colored pencil to her hair on the couch in the evening. See the work in process shots below.

What is the Difference Between a Monotype and a Monoprint?

If you search for inspirational images related to trace monotypes, you’ll find that folks use the words monotype and monoprint interchangeably, even though they aren’t the same. It’s not crucial to delineate – because the internet is full of both terms referring randomly to these (and other) printmaking methods. But in case you want to know…

In printmaking, a monotype plate is featureless.  The surface is absent of texture (such as engraved lines) that will affect the characteristics of the print. All imagery in monotypes are reliant on the artist manipulating pigments, resulting in one distinctive print. A monotype is made from pigment alone, manipulated by the artists hands and/or tools.

There is no repeatable element on the plate’s surface that would be visible if you inked the plate and pulled another print. The word mono refers to one; you get one monotype from the plate if you ink and print from it.

A monoprint refers to a plate with engraved lines, adhered materials or texture that is part of the plate’s surface, and its therefore repeatable on each print.

Variations result when the artist inks the plate with different colors and additional mark-making,  but when they pull the print, the textures integral to the plate will be visible with each variation of the monoprint.

The same is true if stencils are used, or leaves and organic material are pressed into the pigments. Those are repeatable mark-makers, so the resulting art is a monoprint.

So now you’re in the know. 🙂 #artpartycocktailchatter  If you’d like to see more examples and resources on monotype, visit this post.

A Box of Potential

I keep a tall stack of monotype prints going back to 2005 in a box in my studio, waiting for their adventures with other media.  It’s a stash bursting with potential, and the promise of pigment parties and fun.

Sometimes, the particulars of additional pigments are dictated by the paper the monotype was printed on (Example: no liquid pigments on Arches 88 paper since it has no sizing, etc).

This one hinted at both watercolor (even though the kozo paper has no sizing, so the pigments would travel and bleed into each other) and colored pencil.  She said she wanted softly applied wet & dry pigments on top of that smokey, linear ink. At your service, my dear. 🙂

Mind your Materials

Mulberry paper, also known as kozo, is a very light, sometimes transparent printmaking paper that’s also very tough. It’s usually made with no sizing (starch or gelatin) from the innermost fibers of the mulberry tree, and it’s been used in printmaking for centuries.

Mulberry is sold in plain sheets, or with decorative, organic elements embedded into the fibers, like this kozo paper with bamboo leaves.

Painting with water media on unsized paper is like painting on a paper towel. The pigments absorb & travel, willy-nilly in all directions, and color sinks all the way to the back of the paper.

You have better success controlling watercolor meanderings on unsized paper with thin, dry-ish glazes, more akin to the viscosity of butter or printmaking inks.

I worked slowly on this trace monotype, applying pigment gently, and waiting for each application to spread & dry before adding more layers.

What is a Trace Monotype?

If you’re new to the method of trace monotype, here is one of three tutorial videos from my demonstration channel on youtube (below). This method is also called a Transfer Drawing Monotype. #somanywords

If you’re looking for supplies, each video has a Show More section that can be clicked to open a list with links to all the goodies you’ll need to make one of these monotypes on your kitchen table.

You don’t need a press to make a trace monotype.

Trace monotype is also used on fabric, and mixed media art to great affect.  Here is a twenty five minute tutorial video that demonstrates printing from a sheet of plexiglass on hand died fabric (the same process works on paper) with basic supplies and no press.

Laura Kemshall is articulate & encouraging in her demo, so give it a look-see and get your art supplies ready for some after-dinner printmaking sitting on pillows at a coffee table!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a creative week. I’ll see you in the next post!

Belinda

Art Quote

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce

How to Make a Monotype Print

Yield: Beautiful Monotype Prints

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Active Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $35

If you've ever wondered how to make a dark field monotype print, you've come to the right place! Here are step by step monotype process photos, videos, and a supply list with links to the items you'll need to get started.

You don't need a press, or any fancy printmaking equipment.

And if you learn best by watching a demonstration, here is a list of monotyping tutorial videos that cover dark field and light field monotype, as well as trace monotype printmaking demos.

With a little space cleared on a kitchen table, a few supplies, and some reference photos, you'll be making monotype prints in no time at all! Happy Printing!

Print

Materials

• Printmaking Ink
• Printmaking Plate
• Rubber Gloves
• Ink Stir Sticks
• Apron
• Printmaking Paper
• Ink Modifiers
• Paper Towels
• Non-Skid liner
• Reference Photos
• Tracing paper
• Newsprint
• Inking Slab
• Cotton Swabs
• Clothes Pins
• Twine
• Spray Bottle
• Colored Pencils

Tools

• Ink Rolling Brayer
• Assorted Paint Brushes
• Ink Mixing Spatula
• Wrist Rest or Drawing Bridge
• Silicone Tipped Sculpting Tool
• Print Transfer Baren
• Metal Soup Spoon

Instructions

1. Prepare a flat, clear surface to work on by covering it with newspapers. Gather all supplies close at hand, and put on your apron and rubber gloves.
2. Tape down your ink slab.
3. Stir your printmaking ink until it's smooth and mixed well. Put a dollop of ink on the slab about the size of a cashew nut.
4. Use your brayer to roll the ink out on the slab until it's evenly covering the brayer, and the slab, and you hear the ink "hiss" as you roll back and forth
5. Put a piece of non skid under your plexiglass printmaking plate (not necessary if you're printing from a gelli plate) and begin coating your plexiglass with a smooth, even coat of ink
6. When the plate is completely covered, if the ink appears loose, shiny or thick, lay a piece of newsprint on the plate, and very gently, with light pressure, smooth it with your hand as though you were smoothing a wrinkle from a bed sheet
7. Peel the newsprint from the inked plate and discard it. Now that your ink has been blotted, it should be less shiny, and a bit thinner on the plate.
8. Pull out a reference photo, and without touching the inked plate with your hand, begin drawing into the ink with your rubber tipped tool, and cotton swabs.
9. If you need to rest your wrist while drawing, slide your drawing bridge over your ink plate so you can rest your hand on it above the ink.
10. Use your brushes or your gloved finger tip, or rolled paper towel, or cotton swabs to feather halftones in your design. You can also use them to add more ink by dipping in the ink slab and adding darks to your design.
11. When your design is ready to print, pull a sheet of printmaking paper from the package or pad, and with your spray bottle, lightly spritz the side you'll be printing on. Blot with a paper towel, and lay the damp side down on your inked and designed monotype.
12. Hold the paper steady with one hand, while rubbing the back of the paper with either the baren or a metal spoon.
13. Keep the paper in place with a firm hand, and peel up a corner to see how your ink is transferring to the paper. If it looks too light, or mottled, apply more pressure with the spoon in circular motions.
14. When you feel like you've transferred enough ink from the plate to the paper, pull your print, and take delight in your beautiful monotype.
15. After the ink is dry, feel free to add color to the print with colored pencil, pastels, or watercolor (provided you didn't use re-wetting ink, like Speedball).

Notes

If you make a mistake on a portion of your plate while you're designing and clearing ink, re-roll your ink, and re-blot if necessary. The inks (if you're using akua) stay wet for a very long time, until they are pressed to paper, so take your time, and get the hang of this painterly printmaking process.

Have you made one of these?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

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