Demo: Sarah Humby - Monotype

Members were treated to an entertaining and informative demonstration of Monotype print making with three distinct techniques. Monotype simply means that the print will be a one-off – so each print is unique.

First, Sarah demonstrated Monotone (using one colour ink) The oil-based, washable ink was rolled thinly and evenly onto the Perspex plate and then placed onto a light box. Keeping the idea of the natural qualities and textures of landscape in mind, Sarah scraped back areas of ink using cut mount board, cotton buds and small pieces of cloth to create shapes. “This can be unpredictable!” Sarah said, “But certainly addictive!” Then, using damp paper, this was put through the press to reveal the finished print.

Jayne then showed us the direct painting method by first sketching her rough outlines in charcoal (pointing out that pastels can also be used) straight onto the paper. This was fixed to prevent smudging. The sketch was then placed face down on the light box and the Perspex on top. Ink colours were applied to the plate, the image of the sketch to guide. Jayne described how to mix colours with extender to make them more translucent. Occasionally she will use watercolours, too. As before, there was mark making using brushes, cloths etc. The original sketch was then placed with the plate and put through the printing press to reveal a colourful semi-abstract vision of a swan in water. Jayne explained that part of the joy is the visual tension, the slight overlap of sketch outline with the block colours and marks.

The final demonstration was a multi-layered abstract way of working. Using the principles already shown, Sarah started with a solid covering of one colour and blocked out shapes using a paper stencil of a vase shape and scraped away textures using various implements to hand. Each layer was printed and then repeated using the negative space from the cut-out, turning the stencil upside down etc. Jayne added that it is important to play and experiment and showed us how effective it can be to use found objects such as feathers and mesh.

The workshop with Sarah and Jayne is scheduled for Saturday 26th November. Spaces are available; please contact Sally if you would like to join the workshop.