New Monoprints & How I Made Them

each, 11"x7.5", acrylic paint, printmaking ink on stonehenge white paper, 2013

You can view detailed images of all the prints at Etsy or my site.

So what's a monoprint anyway?
I know I get confused. For this series, it means that 1 printmaking block in 1 color is used to create 10 unique prints. The stamp's design is based on the pattern of Navajo saddle blankets.

How are they unique if they use the same printing block?
I use the block differently each time. Laying it down on the paper in different directions, many times. The color in each print is unique, I've brushed it on by hand. And there's lots of messiness and bleed throughs.

What makes them a series?
The 10 prints use a specific visual language. And because I say so.

Check out the transformation below.

Each print is 11" x 7.5" on stonehenge white paper. Here they are taped up and ready to roll! I decided to cut the space in half. The top half will be an imperfect Liberace bling. The bottom will be a bold graphic groovy.

Here's the first stage, painting the bottom half with a spectrum of color, vertical and horizontal.

Now I print them with the block. Above is a print, ink, inked piece of plexi, brayer and block. I spread the ink on the plexi with the brayer, then run the breyer over the block. This blog post breaks down the process a bit more.

Detail of the printing block. The block is an eraser like texture, E-Z Cut brand.

What the block looks like inked up.

I lay the block on a print and run another plexi brayer over it for good ink coverage, hopefully. It's never consistent.

Inking up the block again to continue printing on the bottom half.

Above and below are printed pieces with the top half painted either a complimentary or discordant color.

Above and below, the first layer of metallic acrylic paint.

And a second and third layer for others. The metallic tops won't be opague, they're a bit off and mottled. The color underneath comes through within its' square and along the taped edges.

The final pieces untaped and drying.

And of course at some point "I got inconfusion" and painted the wrong side of the tape on 1 print. There are only 10 prints in the series, but #11 is the happy accident that has a bigger silver top and it's kinda my favorite.

NY131411, 11"x7.5", acrylic paint, printmaking ink on stonehenge white, 2013