How to Make a Monotype Print - Tutorial #3 - Dark Field Monotype Printmaking

[@bdelpesco]

Are you going to make a monotype? Here are the supplies used in this video: rubber gloves amzn.to/1bNmWvu apron amzn.to/1fWXkIh wood stir sticks amzn.to/23vAWRk Plexiglass to roll your ink out amzn.to/3gsdq45 newsprint to slide under your plexi table top amzn.to/1RZTm5n g-tip low-lint cotton swabs amzn.to/1RZTp0Z Rubber tipped wipe-out tools amzn.to/3gfuxpj akua ink amzn.to/1M711w4 Fine Mist Spray Bottle (if you happen to be using fast drying inks) amzn.to/1qhOzoG 4 inch soft rubber brayer amzn.to/1vOHPzY drawing bridge amzn.to/22ngGyR clothespins for hanging/drying art amzn.to/20tuPLq Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils amzn.to/1HZ9mjp Brown Handle Synthetic Craft Brush amzn.to/1SK120Y Arches Cover Printmaking paper (good for colored pencil or watercolor) amzn.to/3hTctBX japanese kozo paper (good for dry media like colored pencil) amzn.to/1C97v9I *Reference Books* The Painterly Print amzn.to/1Ld9aUU Monotype: Mediums and Methods amzn.to/1P0aghm Printmaking Bible amzn.to/1Ld9gvQ Print Workshop amzn.to/1QMmFYl

[@Jollyanna1000]

Extremely clear and very good instructions, as always Belinda. Thanks.

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks so much for the feedback, +Val Lanagan !

[@CherylWolber-ir1yl]

I've learned so much from your videos! Thanks for making them available. I loved Degas' mono types but had only experimented with black ink on acrylic sheets up till now. I'm so excited to start using color.Yay!!!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Cheryl, Yes, color in monotypes is a whole new world to explore. I remember when I discovered it as a possibility too, and I revel in your excitement over it. Have So Much Fun!

[@jennynystedt3706]

Absolutely wonderful to see this technique! Thank you ❤

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks for the feedback, Jenny! I hope you try monotype prints!

[@Freedaaa]

This opens up the door to new possibilities and .... aaah ... simply artistic. Thank you

[@bdelpesco]

Yayyy, Freedaaa! Happy printmaking to you! Have FUN!

[@nacerber1035]

Simply wow !

[@bdelpesco]

Awwe, thank you, Nacer! I hope you feel inspired to make lots and lots of art!

[@nacerber1035]

Just trying. Not talented as you (y)

[@bdelpesco]

Nacer - you can’t compare your monotype projects to mine until you’ve made them for at least ten years. In the meantime, you are welcome to compare what you make to what you did last week, and the week before that, and the year before that, etc. Compete against yourself. And have FUN!

[@nacerber1035]

@@bdelpesco , absolutely right, I m getting improved :) of course l m not professional. I ll follow your advice. Thank you so much artissimma :)

[@jwall6006]

I love this. What a great tutorial. Thank you

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks for that, +Jennie Wallick ! I look forward to seeing your results when you give it a whirl!

[@DG-mv6zw]

Belinda, do you have any printmaking tutorials using acrylic paints? Thanks

[@bdelpesco]

Hi DG, Acrylic paints are wonderful options for painting, but they dry too fast for this style of monotype. Rolling them out, even when modified with retarders to slow the drying, exposes too much surface area to air, so they begin to dry almost immediately. Most (but not all) printmaking inks will stay wet for a few hours which gives you plenty of time to push and pull, add and wipe away before you transfer the print to paper. Do you have any printmaking inks?

[@georginachapa]

Hi Belinda! This kind of monotype can be printed only once? Or do you continue to print several sheets of paper using the same image on the ink

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Gina, You get one print, hence the name Monotype (mono=one). Sometimes, there’s enough ink left on the plate to pull a second, very faint print and that’s called a ghost print. Then you clean your plate, re-ink it, and make another, and another and another… :)

[@georginachapa]

@@bdelpesco thank you Belinda 🤗

[@teresasayner668]

Is this technique also called a reductive monotype? Or is that something different?

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Teresa - yes, it’s also called a reductive monotype. There’s a lot of lingo in printmaking, and plenty of debate about definitions - but the nomenclature to describe dark field and reduction monotypes as the same method is pretty solid.

[@barpoe1]

G-tips! Oh boy, that made me LOL. I’ll have to order online because we don’t have guns in my country 😄. Anyway, your tutorials are wonderful!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Speedmarx, g-tips work very well, and you can order them on Amazon. There are links in the Show More section under the video window if you want to see the supplies used in each video. Happy printing, and thanks for the compliment!

[@MissNausicaa87]

Thank you for the video, Belinda. I'm loving these monotype series, they give such a great effect :)

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks for the feedback, +MissNausicaa87 ! I hope you have fun playing with ink soon! :)

[@maria-giulianalatini1724]

My acrylic paint as an ink has been drying too quickly and sticks to the print.

[@bdelpesco]

Hello Maria-Giuliana - Yes, that is a common problem, because Acrylic paint is designed to dry fast. You can try some of the long-open acrylics (like Golden Open Acrylics, like these: amzn.to/3p4dqOq ), or purchase acrylic retarders (like this: amzn.to/3p2LwSU ) to slow the drying time, or use printmaking inks, which stay wet and workable for a much longer time period.

[@garydewhurst2780]

Great video. How do you prevent the Akua ink from 'blotting' when rolled out. Often I use heavier applications of ink on the plate and when I print I get blotting where I don't want it. I also use arches 88 300 paper wet when I print. Thank you for the advice. Gary

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Gary - Have you tried rolling your ink out in a thin, transparent veil? Or have you tried to blot the rolled out ink on the plate with a sheet of newsprint, laid on the ink, and wiped with your hand super light to remove/peel the uppermost layer of ink off the plate before starting to manipulate the pigment into your designed image? Arches 88 is great, but it has *no* sizing, so it absorbs like a sponge. Akua ink is water-wash up while its wet, so your inks may bloom past their intended shape once they make contact with the wet paper. Instead of soaking the Arches 88, try printing on it dry, and then duplicate your ink on the plate, and print on another sheet with a light spritz of cool, clean water from an atomizer across the paper’s printable side, then immediately blot it completely with a paper towel seconds before you lay it onto the inked and prepared plate. Compare your dry paper print to your spritzed paper print, and see which you like better. If they both work, use both methods of paper prep with your inks. Happy printing to you!

[@garydewhurst2780]

Thanks for the great advice, l will try both methods you suggest and see what transpires!

[@herminamiklos8194]

Wonderful tutorial, as always. Thank you so much!

[@bdelpesco]

You're welcome, Hermina! Thanks for the feedback!

[@prisillaspace]

I love this technique! Thank you for sharing!!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Prisilla, I'm so glad! Have fun with it, and come back to share your results! :)

[@sonia372]

Another excellent demonstration Belinda.

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, +Sonia L ! :)

[@jenniferokeefe8425]

Thank you! I Loved all the pointers. I love how you list all your tools too. I will have to hunt down those g-tip q-tips. I do a lot of monotypes and have found cutting the tip off a q-tip when it gets too much ink with a pair of scissors leaves a tool that can leave a wonderful mark--especially if you angle the scissors and the cut. I also use something Dick Blick calls "color shapers" - little rubber tipped paint brush handles with wedges and rounds and points that can push the ink around like a palette knife--only on a smaller scale.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi +Jennifer OKeefe - it's nice to meet you. Yes, I *love* the rubber tipped "color shapers" for monotypes, and I think they should market them to printmakers. There's a link to a 5-pack of them in various tip-shapes in my supply list on a couple monotype tutorials here, and this particular brand is marketed to clay sculptors. Thanks for the confirmation that they work well for you in monotype printmaking too! Feel free to post any other tips you think would be helpful here in the comments for viewers new to monotypes - every little trick helps. :)

[@PaulRamnora]

Really enjoyed seeing the video...; and, learning more about print making techniques one can do at home. -Thanks! ;-)

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Paul, Thanks for the feedback. I'll be making more tutorials about printmaking at home, so I hope at least one of them resonates and gets you printing on the kitchen table. :)

[@agneshosni4787]

Amazing videos . Beautiful printing style

[@bdelpesco]

Thank you so much 😀

[@janweaver3112]

Thanks for this introduction. Am involved in so many art related areas.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Jan, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Many Art Related areas is the Best Place to be. 😉

[@newworld244]

Very interesting tutorial and easy to follow. All it needs now is to try one of my own! Many thanks.

[@bdelpesco]

Hi Ingrid! I’m glad the tutorial made sense to you, and I hope you try it soon!

[@jennywhisconier7777]

Wow, great demo! Thanks!

[@bdelpesco]

Thanks, Jenny! Happy printmaking to you!

[@tigrankhashmanyan1894]

Thank you,Belinda!!!

[@SorenBjaelde]

Very instructive. Thank you!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi +Søren Bjælde !!! Thank you! Your printmaking videos are some of my favorite on youtube! Please keep them coming! Very, very inspiring!

[@Artbyhoor]

belinda digital printmaking is type of printmaking ? is that print acceptable ? please share this technique with us

[@bdelpesco]

Hello Hoorain Fatima - There are wonderful books available that cover digital transfers for printmaking. Take a look at this one: amzn.to/2uBC7Uz

[@suzanrouse9509]

Do you ever spritz this paper too? Thanks, Your tutorials are clear and make printing so accessible! Suzan

[@bdelpesco]

Hi +suzan rouse - I usually spritz paper to increase flexibility and plump-up the pulp to "dip" into an intaglio plate to collect ink, or settle more thoroughly on the top-level carved surface details of a relief print, so you don't *have* to spritz for this process, but you can certainly give it a try and see how it goes. Let us know your results!

[@flyinrhino1]

A wonderful tutorial. I haven't done one of these in years. They are so much fun thanks again!

[@bdelpesco]

Hi flyinrhino1! I'm so glad you enjoyed the demo, and I hope you make something soon! Thanks for stopping by.

[@ShellyParchman]

Thank you for your tutorial! I have some ink on order and I can't wait to try monoprinting. How long does it take for the ink to dry on the paper?

[@bdelpesco]

Hi +Shelly Parchman !That's great! What brand/type of ink did you order?

[@ShellyParchman]

+Belinda Del Pesco Akua Intaglio

[@bdelpesco]

Hi +Shelly Parchman - if I print with Akua intaglio in the afternoon, my prints are dry the next day and I can add other media by that afternoon. It might depend on the atmosphere where you live but that'll give you at least some idea for planning. :)