TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - KINGSVILLE

PROJECT #1 - MONOTYPE

ARTS-2333-001
This project will introduce you to many of the printmaking materials and equipment you will use to produce
prints. Assignment: Produce a minimum 15 monotypes. 10 mono chromatic and 5 multi color monoprints.
SIZE REQUIREMENTS: Maximum half-sheet (11x15) or (9x12) Watercolor sheet Minimum quarter sheet
( Mono, meaning one, unique, one-of-a-kind. Monoprinting is a combination of painting and printing. An image can be
painted onto a plate (a flat surface like plexiglass) and then transferred from plate to paper by hand or on a press.
Monotype A printmaking technique that creates a unique and one-of-a-kind print.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Plexiglass, Paper towels, Ink, Drawing Paper, Brayer, Toothpicks, Cotton Swabs, Phone book, Barren or Etching Press, Glass
Surface, Vegetable Oil, Brushes, 2 Putty Knife and One Glass Scraper. Use Gloves and Apron as Needed.
MONOPRINTING TECHNIQUES / PROCESS
PLATE PREPARATION
1. Bevel the sharp edges around the plexiglass with a file.
2. Clean the surface of the plexiglass of any debris.
3. Use painters tape to mask and create a border.
PAPER PREPARATION
1. For your first monotype you will use a dry method of printing. Paper will be dry.
2. Any non-textured drawing paper can be used with the dry method.
3. Cut paper to fit just inside the bevel of the plate.
INKING THE PLATE
1. Spread ink on to glass surface with putty knife. Mix well to loosen up ink.
2. Spread a thin line across a clean area of the glass surface.
3. Roll brayer on top of thin line of ink.
4. Push brayer forward and back picking up the brayer on the end of the forward motion, so that
ink surrounds the entire brayer. This is called loading up your brayer.
5. Deposit the ink on the brayer on to the surface of the plexiglass with the same motion.
This is called inking up the plate.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as needed.
DRAWING ON THE PLATE
1. Subtractive Method to remove ink from surface. Selectively remove ink with rags, toothpicks,
cotton swabs, brushes etc . . .
2. Additive Method - Direct Painting - paint directly on plate with brushes.
2. Stencils - stencils block ink from inking the paper. Anything that blocks ink and is flat like paper
can be used as a stencil.
PRINTING THE PLATE
1. Remove masking tape from the plate
2. Place paper on top of the inked plate, by aligning one side of the paper to the edge of
the plexiglass then drop the rest of the sheet on top of the plate.
3. Place a larger sheet of drawing paper on top of both the plate and paper
4. Place it on steady surface and apply pressure with a barren in a circular motion or run
plate through an etching press.
5. Remove paper from the surface of the plate. You have created your first Monotype!