Mono printing

Last Tuesday it was the our Embroiderers' meeting and I was leading a workshop on mono printing. Mono printing can produce some lovely and interesting results but it is not an exact science and some people find too much is left to chance.
I find it useful for sketchbook work and backgrounds for embroidery.
We were using a laminated A4 sheet as the print plate and a poly pocket on which to mix the printing ink.

We practised inking up the plate with either printing inks or acrylic plus extender. We could tell when we had the right amount because when rollered it had an orange peel texture and made a rasping sound.

Marks were made in the paint and then prints were taken on paper so that members could get a feel for the paint.

We worked at adding and subtracting paint, making a mask,using stamps and blocks, stencils and plant material.

Mono print means one print but if you work fairly quickly you can often get a second print and it is this "ghost print" that I usually find the most attractive.

If you get a good print on paper you can then have a go at printing on material.
The blue print above was made by printing onto the plate with lace and various stamps and then a print was taken.
The print was then used as a background for jellyfish which are part of my next workshop on silver.