MAKING MONOTYPES

The word "monotype" literally means one-of-a-kind print. Monotyping developed from traditional printmaking techniques, using materials and procedures originally employed in etching and lithography. Monotypes can be drawn directly onto a smooth metal plate and run through an etching press without chemically fixing the image. Alternatively, the image on the plate may be hand-inked and pressed, in the manner of a woodblock print. In each case, the ink lays on the surface of the plate, and is transferred in reverse, directly to the paper surface. This frees the artist from the rigors of traditional printmaking and allows for expression of greater imagination and spontaneity.

After the original impression is made from a monotype plate, a thin residue of ink remains. If another sheet of paper is then pressed against the plate, a faint "ghost" of the original image gets transferred to the sheet. The ghost becomes a new work which is sometimes displayed side-by-side with the original print. The ghost can also be superimposed on top of the original print (or any other print for that matter). By running the same sheet of paper over many different monotype plates, a complex, multiple exposure print is created.

Another variation involves painting or drawing over portions of the printed image to impart added depth and texture. Various materials and media can be added. Cut out or torn pieces of one monotype can be attached to the surface of another monotype creating a monotype collage. One can then print another image over the collage, and finish by applying paint, pencil, and crayon.