Half term this week which has meant some welcome time to spend in my art pod reconnecting with my own practise. There's nothing like a spot of monoprinting to help me get back into the swing of things again, particularly after a break where my creative momentum has been a little bit lost.
I always find that any kind of printmaking is a great refocussing tool that can spark new ideas as well as bringing the opportunity to revisit and further develop existing practice.
The examples pictured are made very simply by firstly inking up a plate (piece of clear A4 plastic) with black water based printing ink. Then using sketches and photographs as a guide scratching into the ink using a variety of mark making tools such as sticks, sponges, bits of wood etc working quickly before the ink can dry. A one off print - hence the term 'mono' - is then taken by laying a piece of plain paper over the plate, rubbing in smoothly and peeling off.
These prints in themselves work well however they can also be used as material with which to develop further work. For example they can be torn up and used as collage papers. They can also be drawn into further. See examples below with the addition of black and white drawing ink.
