first attempt

Encouraged by my college professor to begin a blog for the monotype class I am taking, I decided to add this to my short list of other blogs. Maybe this will encourage me to write more about other aspects of my  life as well.

The first class period of monotype was used for experimentation. Our class is using Plexiglas sheets to paint on; we have three different sizes. If it were up to me I might chose to use a sheet already prepared for printing to avoid the beveling we had to do by hand. I am glad it was a one time process. We used the additive process and applied inks to the glass sheet. I was not sure how the print would turn out and expected much more absorption from the paper. it was fun mixing colors for this project and seeing what abstractions the process creates.

The second print was a landscape design. Living in Napa Valley, I chose a vineyard scene. I attempted to layer on colors in an impressionist manner, focusing on individual colors and lighting. I was extremely happy with how my glass looked after I finished painting it. Pressing larger plates presents a challenge in the fact that it is more difficult to lay out on the roller and align the paper evenly. The print once again picked up less ink than I imagined it would. This was disappointing, but also something to learn from.

 I made a little print with some of the leftover ink on my palette. This time I sprayed the paper before rolling the print. This ended in successful  results. My favorite print of the day was the ghost print I made of this second print. The pastel colors are characteristic of my favorite watercolors. Maybe I will experiment with translucent inks this coming week.