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Featured Artist Bruce Waldman was kind enough to join us at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop and walk us through his process for creating a Monoprint or Monotype (see our glossary of terms for clarification). Pictured above are the creative tools necessary; a variety of brayers, palette knives, Gamblin etching inks, rags and textured surfaces. Bruce uses a large plexiglass sheet with white paper taped to the back (to help see your image as you are working). This is a process that allows you to improvise, work quickly and experiment with techniques and styles. The inks will stay wet and printable for several hours, giving you the opportunity to work for some time on your image before pulling your final print.
Bruce begins, by laying in larger areas of color using a brayer (or roller), then drawing in some of his image using the edges of the roller. A very fine line can be created this way, but it will take some practice to learn how to control the line and get the results you want.
Bruce uses a wide variety of materials, including paper towels and socks, to create texture and pattern in his compositions. Basically anything that will hold and tranfser ink can be used to add a sense of movement or pattern to the plexiglass.
The image can also be created by extracting from the large inked areas using a rag or paper towel, pulling out the highlights and building the image in a new way. One of the great things about this process is the ability to wipe away areas that aren't successful and draw them in again.
A stiff bristled brush can be used to draw on the plexiglass as well. The etching inks are not nearly as workable as oil paints so the effect is more of a scumbling effect than a smooth application of paint. This too takes some practice to get used to but can have excellent results.
Here is the final image as it appears on the plexiglass. You can see the number of techniques employed throughout the process, large areas of ink, drawn line, extraction and brush work. Now it's time to go to print, Bruce is printing on Revere paper, and it should be soaked in a water bath for about 30 minutes before printing.
You don't want your paper to be sopping wet, just a nice light sheen. Lay your plexi on the printmaking blankets, lay your paper on top and cover with another blanket. The best results will come from using a printing press (pictured), many local studios or ateliers will allow you to use the space and equipment for a nominal fee, but a baren or even the back of a wooden spoon can be used to apply pressure to the back of your paper.
Here you can see Bruce checking the print quality. A monoprint (mono meaning "one") gives you only one pull, making each image unique. You can, however, pull a second "ghost" print of the remaining ink on the plate which can give you interesting results as well.
Here is the final result, a very interesting image created using an interesting technique. It's a process that relies heavily on experimentation and results will vary from print to print. As Bruce told the group, he has done this thousands of times and been satisfied with the results only hundreds of times. So don't get discouraged and continue to work until you are satisfied! You can see more of Bruce's prints in the Artist Profile section of the Learning Center.
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*Utrecht Art Supplies is not responsible for any damage to personal property that may result from use of any of the above articles. These documents are intended for reference only.
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Thanks for the cool demo! Posted by: Jean H. - Sep 25, 2009 2:44 PM