Review of Monoprinting Workshop, Plymouth Museum, June 6, 2009

By PRSD, on Thursday, June 11, 2009

Picasso, Matisse, Emin… and now, after a Saturday workshop at Plymouth Museum, add Smith to the list of people who have produced monoprints, (although unlike the list of artists before me, income from my efforts wouldn’t even cover the bus fare home).

Monoprinting is a printmaking technique which creates a one-off image.

Basically, paint is applied to a smooth surface and is then transferred to another (paper, material etc), either by hand or by press. It’s a simple technique, but one that can be used to produce a wide variety of unique images.

The monoprinting workshop is just one of the adult art activity days, ranging from papermaking to rag rugging, currently being offered by the recently revamped museum. Helen Round, who helps to develop the organisation’s programme of activities, was keen to reintroduce the days after having her enthusiasm for art encouraged by a workshop ‘many years ago’.

Helen, who is a textile artist and member of the Drawn to the Valley group of artists, led the workshop. After a quick introduction it was down to business with a sentence guaranteed to make the collective stomachs of the participants drop: ‘I’d like you to make a few sketches from the museum exhibits.’

It soon became apparent, however, that fine art drawing skills are not a prerequisite for printmaking.

After covering a sheet of plexiglass with acrylic paint we placed our sketches onto the painted sheet and traced our drawings. As well as the traditional pencil, Helen encouraged us to use our ‘other’ hand, fingers and erasers to transfer our images and achieve ‘interesting’ effects. Removing our drawings revealed a positive image on the back of paper and an inverse in the remaining paint. This was transferred, using a roller, onto a piece of paper to create another print. The variations on this technique are many – layering paint, smearing colours, adding cut-outs to the painted plexiglass for example.

After a couple of hours of experimenting with this technique we moved on to a press and printing inks. Plastic covered cardboard rollered with ink was passed thro ugh the press together with a piece of paper pre-soaked in water. The effect of the press was to spread the inks very thinly into the wet paper, allowing for multiple layering of colours and the addition of different shapes to the print through the use of stencils for example..

The final monoprint can also be used in other projects. Stitching, colouring and collaging are just a few techniques that can be added. And of course the wipes used to clean the plexiglass (which, worryingly, are primarily used to clean babies’ bottoms) can also provide inspiration for mixed-media creations as well as an interesting visual record of the day

So much of the success of a workshop is down to the facilitator. Helen was excellent – showing us the basics and encouraging us to experiment. Materials were plentiful, so it was with straining carrier bags that we left the workshop at 3:30pm.

So I guess you want to see my efforts? Miro, eat your heart out…