Monotype prints are actually original paintings done
on a glass plate. The painting is transferred to paper
by running it under a press, thereby creating a unique
print. Salt Meadow Gallery carries many fine monotypes
by Ann Solomon.
From Sources: Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia, www.monotypes.com, The Artists' Press,
South Africa
Printmaking is typically used for the production of
an edition of images, a collection of identical prints
that are sold in a limited quantity. In contrast, monotyping
by definition is printing only a single image, allowing
the artist to make use of the particular aesthetic qualities
of prints while preserving the rarity of the work. The
characteristic of this method is that no two prints
are alike; although images can be similar, editioning
is not possible.
A monotype is created on a glass plate in a similar
way to a drawing on paper or an oil painting on paper.
By using monotype an artist can work quickly and smoothly
and unlike in drawing is able to rework and erase areas
in an almost invisible way. A monotype refers to the
production of a single unique print. The appeal of the
monotype lies in the unique translucency that creates
a quality of light very different from a painting on
paper or a print, and the beauty of this media is also
in its spontaneity and its combination of printmaking,
painting and drawing mediums. Also known as the most
"painterly" method among the printmaking techniques,
monoprints and monotypes are essentially printed paintings.
There are three principle methods of making
a monotype:
" The additive or light-field method, in which
the image is painted by adding or building up pigment
onto the plate
" The subtractive or dark-field method where the
entire plate is covered with a thin layer of pigment,
which the artist then works out his image by removing
some of the pigment with brushes, rags, sticks, or other
tools.
" The third is a combination of the two.
There are endless variations on printing monotypes:
the ink may be drawn or painted directly onto the plate
and can be wiped off, scratched into and manipulated
in many exciting ways. Talcum powder can even be scattered
onto the surface to create a snowstorm type of effect.
Monotype allows the artist to explore materials and
imagery in a way that often impacts on more "permanent"
types of printing. Some artists use monotype as a way
of leading them into what will later develop as a lithograph.
Monotype "ghost" prints, which are the print
pulled from the plate once the primary image has been
printed, can also be used to develop the image further.
Other ways that artists create monotypes include creating
a plate for multiple prints but pulling just a single
image off it; painting on a blank plate, and then printing
the plate, creating an unreproducible image in print
form; combining normal printing techniques with singular
variations, such as adding unique colors to an inked
plate before printing; or printing an image and then
hand-coloring it to bestow uniqueness.
Monotype printing allows very clear color combinations
to come through, allowing intense oil colors to be applied
directly from the tubes. Later ink may be mixed to match
the monotype colors if it is decided to develop an edition
from the monotype.
Monotyping Q & A from www.monoprints.com:
Q: If the goal is to produce a single
painted image, why make a monotype instead of a painting?
A: It would certainly seem pointless
to make that image as a unique print. But monotypes
combine the spontaneity of printed inks and paper, creating
a surface that is unlike any other art.
Q: Is there a difference between a
monotype and a monoprint?
A: Although these two terms are used
interchangeably, there is a big difference between one
and the other. The process of monoprinting and monotype
printing is the same: the artist applies colour directly
onto a surface and then prints it running it under a
press. Monoprints though have a pattern or part of an
image which is constantly repeated in each print. Artists
may use etched plates or some kind of pattern such as
lace, leaves, fabric or even rubber gaskets, to add
texture. Monotype prints instead are in ONE copy only.
A clean and unetched plate is used and images are created
with nothing that can be reproduced.
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