#c;print

[storiesandprints-blog]

outers: in progress middle: finished

[storiesandprints-blog]

Print #1: Trace Monotype

So the first print I did was a Trace Monotype, and while it didn’t turn out as well as I was hoping for, it did turn out as not-good as I was expecting, slightly better though. Alright, let’s go through the process for the trace monotype/monoprint and see my finished print!

First, I took my print design sketch and traced it on some regular tracing paper to get a thinner surface to draw through. I then got a large Plexiglas plate and cleaned it in preparation of inking the surface minus a 1 inch margin. The margin can be easily done by taping the edges with painter’s tape. I blended a small amount of waterproof black ink with a dot of acrylic retarder, which slows the drying process of the ink. After this, I used a brayer to roll out the ink onto the Plexiglass surface, as shown below.

Then, after making sure I didn’t put too much ink on the plate, I peeled off the tape and set up my station for tracing my image. 

And then I got started! I used a lot of different utensils and whatnot to make different textures and shades. Mostly used the end of a paintbrush for lines, a dried-up-paint-caked brush for shading, and a plastic knife for bark texture. Also used my fingers for shading the buildings in.

This process took a bit longer than I expected—1-1.5 hours instead of the 30-45 minutes I expected. It turned out I forgot how long this process took in less than a semester! It took so long mostly because I was being a perfectionist and was unsatisfied with all the shading. Near the end, I just got frustrated and finished up quickly. And this is the result!

As you can see, it’s mostly all grey as I shaded too much in the same shade. In the next print, I hope to see much more gradiation and variation in my gray shades—maybe even in my colors! Which reminds me, I’m wondering if I should color the eyes in. I was initially going to, but as this process only puts out one print and I can’t make another edition, I’m not sure if I should in case I don’t like it. Gah, #printingprobz. I’ll post more pics in another post if you want to look with more detail and quality~

Anywho, that’s all for this print. I am still working on the matrix for the second print, and as it’s a drypoint, the longest part of the process is the etching of the matrix. Let’s see if I’ll have it done by Tuesday!