Today I tried a big monotype. I wanted to see how my monotypes would look on a larger scale, and also find out how well hand burnishing would work (this was much too big for my press).
First I cut a piece of plexigless to fit nicely on a full sheet of Zerkall paper, then I took the paper down to the house and put it in the bath to soak. Back in the studio I took some pictures of the process (It took about three hours from start to finish):
Inking the plate.
Drawing with the end of a paintbrush, starting off with abstract shapes and making it up as I go.
Wiping off more ink.
The finished plate before printing. After fetching the paper from the bath I blotted it so it was just damp, then laid it over the plate and hand burnished it with a wooden baren.
Lifting the paper off. I was pleased with the transfer, there's no visible difference between hand printing and using the press (just took a lot more time and effort).
The finished print I've called Contortionist. The image size is 45 x 60cm. I don't think it's my best, but I'm pleased with it for a first try at this size. There will definitely be more!
It looks great I wouldn't have thought hand burnishing would work so well. Just a quick question what sort of ink do you use for these prints?
ReplyDeleteThanks Rhiannon :-)
ReplyDeleteI use Caligo safe wash relief inks, which are oil based but will clean up with water. I got them for printing woodcuts and linocuts, but have found they work well for my monotypes too.
Hello, A very insightful post. Thanks for the info. Its great that if our default settings are giving us messy or stringy builds, this dialog can probably help.Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteCheap print