Monotype printmaking - collecting and making of unique artwork

What is a monotype print ? a definition

Difference between monotype and monoprint

I found a very comprehensive and clear definition on Print Europe:

"Although monotypes and monoprints involve distinctly different processes, the two terms are often used erroneously as synonyms, or are mistakenly used for each other.

A monotype is a single print pulled from a glass or metal plate on which ink or paint has been applied. The image can be transferred to paper by hand rubbing or with a press. A monotype remains one of a kind because it contains no repeatable matrix in the image from which a perfect second impression can be made.

A monoprint begins with a repeatable matrix in the image, such as an etched plate, which could, if desired, be editioned to produce a series of like impressions. What gives the monoprint its singularity is the process of subsequent hand colouring or doctoring to make it uniquely different or a one of a kind print. A series of monoprints - all derived from the same plate, but then individually hand manipulated - is often called a unique edition and is signed and numbered accordingly."

Abbaye Silvacane,Provence - Monotype print by Edition Handdruck

Collecting monotypes - from a collectors point of view

Something special and a tip for collectors

Monotypes are rare and special
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Many famous artists used the monotype technique. Edgar Degas, the french impressionist is one of the most popular examples apart from Matisse and Gauguin. However for most of those artists monotyping was a side work with special character.

Again Degas gives an interesting example. His monotypes of boudoir scenes, studies made on the side paths of social life in Paris, were unknown for a long time. After his death they were discovered by his family and partly destroyed as improper. However Picasso had been a keen collector of these works and in his late years even published a famous series of etchings paraphrasing the work of Degas.

Good monotypes are not easy to find as the results in monotyping depend on developed skill,not only in managing form and color,but also the very unique handling of materials.My own search told me whenever you find a good monotype printer, you have found a very special artist with an original,ingenious body of work

Monotypes are a good buy
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Monotypes are unique works and therefore very close to a hand drawing or a painting. Nevertheless very often monotypes are a much better buy for collectors in comparison to traditional paintings for example. The reason for this is that monotypes are mostly classified as prints,shown and marketed in this environment and last not least the artists are mostly printers and active in other forms of printmaking. As a result the prices for monotypes are more than often strongly influenced by the price regime of artist prints with multiple editions (up to 200 copies per print for example). In other words, interested and informed collectors can find unique and outstanding works at very attractive prices just using this special condition on the art market.

Advantages of monotyping - from an artist point of view

1. A minimum of materials is needed.
Monotyping is much less color consuming than the way of plein air painting I used to do. I can buy the best colors as I know that they will last for a very long time.I do not need a press, a simple glass plate and a brass pestel are all I need.

2. Handling and storage
The surface of the work will dry relatively fast and storage of works on paper is much easier then bulky canvases. Also normal oil paintings need 6 months or more to dry. The monotypes are dry on the surface and ready for storage after 1 week.

3. Creative potential
Painting outdoors always tends to come under the strong influence of the realities, local colors especially. As a result quite often a kind of neo-impressionistic manner will develop. Sketching outdoors without colors gives me the opportunity to explore reality. In developing the print in the studio I can step back from the strong local impressions to develop my own image language. I always can go back to the sketchbook and do a new version.
Monotyping also has a kind of playful character.
In fact there are no rules and there are no such dominating examples in art history as you find them in painting. Since I started doing monotypes I am constantly learning and make new experiences how to handle materials. This freedom is what I like best apart from the other advantages listed here. Any time one can "invent" something new, something not seen yet.

4. Monotyping fits to my way of imagination
Before I start a print I think the image and play in my mind with the possible sequence of printing steps I want to conduct.

5. The results
All what has been said til now would be nothing if I was not so enthusiastic about the quality of art that can be achieved by monotyping. The combination of painterly techniques with drawing and the modifications that the transfer process allows make for the unique image quality of a good monotype. This is also the answer for those who on first sight do not understand why someone would do a painting or drawing and then squeeze it through a press or press it by hand to paper. Monotypes show variations of color and offer options of layer combinations that painting or drawing alone do not have.

Monotyping materials and tools

1.Colors
My favourite colours for monotypes are oil colours which are also used for "normal" painting. I do not use water soluble colours as the paper I print on will not stay flat after getting in touch with water.
Usually I apply thin layers of colours to avoid that the print is looking like a squeezed oil painting. Oil colors stay reactive for a long time so I can work and shape the color layer for hours if I want. I often use Sennelier oil sticks in combination with standard oil colors.

2. Thinners
I like transparent color layers which I used to achieve by thinning the oil color with balsam turpentine oil. I stopped that because I was concerned about my health condition, even though I had a respiration mask. Today I use this solvent only in rare exceptions and for cleaning my brushes at the end of the process.
I have switched to linseed oil as thinner to get very thin transparent layers. The advantage of linseed oil is apart from not being poisonous that the thin layers do not dry as quickly as before and they do not loose shape that easy. I use only very little amounts of oil to avoid bleeding of the oil into the paper.
For cleaning the plate I use a salad oil.

3.Some Tools
I mainly use bristle brushes to put the color onto the glass plate. I manipulate the colors also with tissue paper to achive thin layers.

To apply pressure I rub the backside of the paper with a heavy brass pestel after I have placed the paper on the glass plate with the color layer.

4. glass plate
I bought the glass plate at the local window manufacturer. It is a special glass that does not break as easy as the cheapest qualities. The thickness of the plate is one centimetre, little less than half an inch. I am working now on the same plate for more than 2 years.

What is the best paper for monotype ?

Some considerations

There is no standard answer to the question which paper is the best paper for monotype. It depends what kind of colors shall be used and how the pressure shall be applied.

In general printing papers as they are used in etching or other processes are possible,but experimenting with different kinds of papers is very rewarding.

For water based colours one would prefer a paper that will not get wavy after getting wet, unless you have a press and you can dry the sheet between blotters after printing.

Coated papers, or papers with a hard surface are difficult to print on. Papers with an "open" surface structure will accept colours better.

I use a 170gr/sqm drawing/printing paper with a smooth surface. It is an acidfree archival paper. The volume of the paper is rather high (manufacturer say factor 1,75) and it behaves a bit like a thin carton. The paper is stiff enough to be rolled down to the glass plate smoothly. Also it tolerates heavy rubbing from the backside. The traces that my brass pestle causes on the backside will even disappear partly after some time.

Also this paper takes up oil colors very well. I can print up to 3-4 layers (thin layers not in thick impastos) if I want.

The paper is manufactured by Cordier Spezialpapier, Germany. They call it Schleipen book printing paper on their website (english version).

There is some more interesting information about how to choose your paper on the website of The Washington Printmaking Gallery.

How to print without a press

Using a brass pestel as tool in monotype printing

There is one tool which I consider most important for my daily work : a brass pestle.
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This tool has a weight of ca. 0,5 kg and I can hold it comfortably at the lower end. The second image shows how this pestel is already polished by the usage.
When I start "printing" I first let the pestle glide with it´s own weight over the backside of the paper. This way the paper will get in touch with the oil colour and it will stick better to the glass plate.

After that I increase pressure and velocity of my movements. The pestle gets quite warm not to say hot. The contact area between paper and pestle may be only half a centimeter, but the pressure I create on this spot ist remarkable.

I can see the progress on the back of the paper and I treat the backside in dense strokes in horizontal,vertical direction and in 45% angle.

Printing a monotype without using harmful solvents

The advantages of using bleached linseed or bleached poppy oil in monotype printing

Over a couple of years I have used traditional oil paint solvents like rectified balsam turpentine oil as thinners. I used the thinner to get thin washes of colors on the glass printing plate. However on the long term these thinners produced on basis of tree resins are harmful for your health.

After some search I found an alternative and today I do not use any material that is signed "Xn". My favourite thinner is now bleached poppy seed oil. This is an almost water clear oil. The amounts I use to get thin layers are tiny compared to what I used before. Only a few drops and a minimum of color is enough to get the wanted result. Sometimes the layer is hardly visible on the glass plate, but the printing effect is still strong.
The sky with clouds in the image below was added as final stage of a recent monotype print. I manipulated the thin layer with some tissue paper, working form "dark field", to get the clouds. The advantage of oil as thinner is that the layer can be manipulated a long time, as the oil does not dry as quickly as solvents do. Therefore you can control and correct your image much better.

monotype print edition handdruck

What is the ghost in monotype printing ?

Monotype print in progress

The "ghost" are those traces of colour which are left on the printing plate after the colour was transferred to the paper. Glass is very suitable for hand printing as the oil color cannot stick to much to the glass surface. However there are always traces left which are very helpful as orientation during the development of a print in several stages.
monotype ghost

The image above shows the ghost of one of my monotype prints from the Piranesi Paraphrases. The first layer was the sky. In the next step I added in a blue wash the major forms and shadows of the building. Then I started to add details step by step in black and brown. One can see the traces of each step on the plate. So I can always see which areas I have worked on. The next image shows the unfinished print it corresponds with the state of the ghost image above.
monotype print unfinished
It is possible to work out very fine details and to achieve a wide range of tonalities by manipulating the color in layers.

How to print a monotype from a glass plate without a press

In this time lapse video I recorded the making of a simple monochrome monotype print from an outdoor sketch of the cloister Maulbronn. The color is transferred from a glas plate to the paper.

The basic steps are

1. main forms are layed down, tissue is used to take off excess liquid and to create structures
2. transferring the printed forms onto transparent paper by tracing, the drawing then is put under the cleaned glass plate
3. adding a dark drawint with black oil color stick, the color is manipulated with tissue and brushh sticks, or old hard brushes to create tonalities and structures
4. The darkest darks are put in and some color spots are added after the print borders have been covered with a paper frame
5. adding title and signing of the print

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A trace monotype - how to do it

About 5 years ago I did my first trace monotype. I had studied a catalogue on the works of Paul Klee and had always admired Klee`s fine line drawings to which he added colours later.

Only a short hint was given in the catalog,but I understood that Klee had made his own simple tracing paper so he would be able to multiply his drawings or transfer them to other papers.

He simply coated a sheet of paper with a thin layer of oil colour. I used for this purpose greaseproof baking paper or transparent paper. The next step is a bit difficult,but with some exercise it is possible to place the oiled paper with the coloured side on top a water colour paper for example.

One can draw with a ball pen or any other tool directly on the tracing paper or on a thin paper which is placed as third layer on top. Thus the tracing paper can be used several times as the drawing with the ball pen is visible only on the top layer (for example newsprint) and as trace on the lowest layer.

So in fact this type of a monotype is created by a simple tracing process. Some trials and experimenting is necessary to find the best combinations of papers and application for the oil color. I use now only a very small amount of oil color which I thin a bid with linseed oil. This layer will be reactive over hours. I like to mount these 3 paper sheets with adhesive tape on a plywood plate and go out to do "plein air" monotypes (sample below).

Interview with Stuart Shils - painter and monotype printmaker

There is a great interview including videos with artists Stuart Shils on Painting perceptions. Highly commmended footage to monotype printmaking.

Making A Monotype Part 1 - Stuart Shils: by stuartshils | video info

9 ratings | 3,065 views

curated content from YouTube

Printing a monotype print

Working step by step in layers - a short demonstration

Colonna Trajana Piranesi Paraprase by Edition Handdruck The image on the left shows a montype print with the basic colour shapes and tonalities. The oil color was painted with a brush on the glass plate. Each colour was added in a separate step. I left the print in that stage over night for some drying, because I wanted to add linear work in black color for the details and additional tonalities. I cleaned the glass plate so no ghost was left.

In order to find the right registration I traced the main forms on a transparent paper which I put underneath the glassplate. Thus I could see where the position of the column and the other buildings were.
I started drawing the details of the column with an oilstick and worked through the whole image in numerous steps. At last I inserted the sitting figure.

What is a monotype - video by Arthur Secunda

Arthur Secunda produced a 10 minute video which gives a very comprehensive introduction into monotype printing technique

What is a Monotype: by ArthurSecunda | video info

35 ratings | 28,153 views

curated content from YouTube

Famous monotype printmakers

The link list I try to keep fresh and updated contains links to contemporary artists with outstanding achievements in monotype printmaking. These achievements are the result of continous work and experiment in monotype printmaking over years.

So called "famous" artists, artists with a worldwide fame or recognition, names in art history are usually not known for their monotype works.

Perhaps with one or two exceptions: Paul Klee who used the trace monotype technique extensively and Edgar Degas who used monotype prints as under painting for some of his pastels.

Recently monotype printmaking seems to become more popular and interesting for artists.
The Scottish artist David Shrigley discovered the monotype recently and there is an exhibition held at Cologne at the Ludwig museum this year There are only a few image examples shown on the net. I recommend to compare these with some work by artists on the linklist in this lens.

Monotype printmaking artists on the net and other resources

The art of monotype printing world wide !

Collectors of art works on paper watch out and browse through this list of monotype printmakers.

Monotype printmaking - collecting and making of unique artwork

"Creative Monotypes" - printmaking without a press

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

What is a monotype print ? a definition

Difference between monotype and monoprint

Collecting monotypes - from a collectors point of view

Something special and a tip for collectors

Advantages of monotyping - from an artist point of view

Monotyping materials and tools

What is the best paper for monotype ?

Some considerations

How to print without a press

Using a brass pestel as tool in monotype printing

Printing a monotype without using harmful solvents

The advantages of using bleached linseed or bleached poppy oil in monotype printing

What is the ghost in monotype printing ?

Monotype print in progress

How to print a monotype from a glass plate without a press

A trace monotype - how to do it

Interview with Stuart Shils - painter and monotype printmaker

Printing a monotype print

Working step by step in layers - a short demonstration

What is a monotype - video by Arthur Secunda

Famous monotype printmakers

Monotype printmaking artists on the net and other resources

The art of monotype printing world wide !

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Another lens on monotype and monoprinting

Monotype printmaking videos

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Monotype and print related books

Trace monotype reproductions on Zazzle

Available original monotype prints

Monotype prints for sale

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