Artwork of Carol Kennedy

Monotypes & Monoprints

Monotypes and monoprints date back to the time of Rembrandt (1606-1669) and were made known by such renowned artists as Degas, Gauguin and William Blake. Because the word “print” normally is associated with multiple images being produced, there is some confusion about whether these are original one-of-a-kind artworks, or reproductions. Therefore, a few words explaining each of these processes may help clarify how these original artworks are made.

What is a Monotype?

Monotypes are usually made by painting or rolling inks and paints onto a smooth, flat plate. The plate can be almost any smooth surface that is not breakable, such as Plexiglas, lexan, durable cardboard or sheet metals such as zinc or copper. Inks and paints of various types may be applied using brushes, brayers, rags, sponges, or even one’s fingers. After the artist has applied the paints to the plate, they can be drawn into, wiped around and out or otherwise manipulated to create the image desired by the artist. Once the image is completed, the plate is placed on the bed of a printing press, dampened printmaking paper is laid over the plate and it is run through the press, subjecting it to great pressure and transferring the image from the plate to the paper. After one run through the press, most of the inks or paints have been transferred; should the artist run the same plate again with a fresh sheet of paper, they may get one more image, which is more subtle and faint than the first run This print is known as a “ghost” image and is sometimes more interesting and appealing than the first print. There are countless variables in the printmaking process, each of which creates different effects in the final print. Some of these choices for the printmaker include: whether oil-based or water-soluble inks are used, how thinly or thickly they are applied and with what kind of tools; what kind of paper is used, and whether it is soaked and blotted or printed dry; and whether the print is created by a single pass through the press or by reprinting multiple times. There is also the variable of how much pressure the press is set for and to what extent this causes the inks to spread, blur and blend in the final artwork. These variables make the art of printmaking complex, unpredictable and exciting - simultaneously they make each print a completely unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art!

How is a Monotype different from a Monoprint?

While the average art lovers, and even many art publications, have not made a clear distinction between these terms in the past, there is a simple difference that is agreed upon among printmakers today. The difference is whether the plate is perfectly smooth or has been permanently altered in some way that gives it a fixed texture or image. A monotype is a one of a kind print made from a perfectly smooth, flat plate that has not been altered, whereas a monoprint is also a unique print, but it is made from a plate that has been worked on in someway such that the elements of the plate itself are then part of the resulting image. The plate may be etched or carved into, or it may be built up by using layers of adhesives, polymers, found objects or cardboards. Theses additions or subtractions to the plate itself remain permanently as part of the plate while the specific colors, types of ink or paint and style of application may vary each time this plate is prepared and printed. Therefore, a series of prints can be created that are alike due to the permanent elements of the altered plate, but different as to colors and other variables. These “similar but different” prints are called “monoprints” and each one is unique from all the others that are made from the same plate.