How to do it – Monotype
Introduction
The term “Monoprints” is often confused with “Monotype”. Both are distinct separate processes and it doesn’t help that artists; gallery owners; and art historians amongst others do not accurately distinguish between the two methods. Simply put, a monoprint has part of its construction that can be repeated, so if the final image has a combination of lino or woodblock print and drawn line then you have a monoprint. This is a unique image that cannot be repeated. A monotype is entirely drawn and has no repeatable elements in it such as a lino block.
The process
The sequence here shows how I develop an edition of very similar images that are based on one master drawing but are obviously unique because they are drawn. There is an ethical question here; can these images be editioned in the same way as a lino print run can?
This series of images show how I roll the ink onto a plastic slab; mask out to create a border; register the paper so successive colours can be aligned; and draw through the original design to pick up the ink onto the cartridge paper that is between the ink and the drawing. I usually do five prints at a time, printing each colour on separate sheets.
