Materials: block/lino printing inks, rubber ink roller, a hard plastic non-textured surface (I used some thin chopping boards), paper, pencil, tracing paper, paint brushes.
I usually like working with materials that don’t have any complicated or confusing steps and a few printing techniques, like screen printing, have a lot of steps and take a lot of time and machines. So a simpler technique I have learnt is monoprinting, and I have had a lot fun in the past making and creating artwork at home. There are two main techniques I use: drawing above on a piece of paper to transfer the design, or drawing directly into the ink. The most important thing to remember, is that you have to draw your design in reverse, so it prints out the right way. So here’s how I go about creating this technique:
Drawing from above:
1) I draw a design or trace a photo I would like to print on a piece of tracing paper. (Tracing paper is best to use, because you can flip it over so it is reversed when you draw back over it).
2) After putting the design to one side, I begin to set up the inks by adding ink to one side of a hard plastic surface (I use is a chopping board, because it’s cheap and it doesn’t matter if it gets dirty). I then use the roller to evenly spread the ink over the plastic surface – I also sometimes use different colours to mix together.
3) Once I’m happy with the consistency of the ink, I gently place a plain piece of paper onto the ink (any pressure on the ink will now show up on the page). The tracing paper with the design on, gets placed on top with the reverse side up.
(Right side and wrong side comparison).
4) I then begin to trace over the design with a pencil. The more pressure I place on the paper, the more visible the mark will be, which is interesting to experiment with. I also experiment by making marks with my fingers, because these will also show up and make textures.
5) When I have finished, I take the tracing paper off and begin to peel the paper off the hard surface to reveal the design, and then leave it in a place to dry.
Drawing directly into the ink:
1) To start, I follow steps 2 and 3 as above and then get either a paintbrush or a pencil (that I don’t mind getting dirty) and begin to draw into the ink. (I often need to remind myself to draw in reverse, like a mirror image, so it’s the right way round on the final paper).
2) Once I have finished drawing or painting a design, I place a piece of paper on top and use the roller over the paper so the ink transfers on to it. I then peel the paper off to see the design and leave it to dry.
Because it is handmade, every print you make will be different, which is what also makes it fun to experiment with. Here are some more examples of what I’ve used this technique for:
