Printmaking: Watercolor Monotypes
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What you'll need
Several sheets
Printmaking Paper
1 set regular or liquid
Watercolors
A few tablespoons worth
Gum Arabic or Clear Liquid Dish soap
1
Tray Of Water - Bigger Than Your Paper
1 or more
Sheet Of Plexiglass Or Mylar
1
Palette: Watercolor palette Or Tupperware Lid
2
Disponible Or Cotton Rags Or Cheesecloth
1
Water Container
Several
Assorted Watercolor Brushes
1
A Towel
1
Rolling Pin Or Bottle
2
Wooden spoon
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Pour a little of your gum arabic (preferable) or dish soap into a container.
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Soak a bit of your rag in it and smear it across your sheet of plexiglass or Mylar.
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With a clean rag, gently go over it again to soak up any excess, so you have an even thin coating.
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Set it aside to dry. Now fill a tray with water. You can use anything that’s bigger than your paper.
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Submerge your PRINTMAKING paper. Soak for an hour or more. Regular paper is too fragile for this.
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I’m going to test both regular and liquid watercolors.
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First: liquid watercolors. I’ll drop a few colors onto my palette.
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You can put other paper of the same size underneath the Mylar/plexiglass so you know where to paint.
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I’ll paint an imaginary sunset. Notice how the wet colors bleed into each other.
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Now I’ll try the regular watercolors with a flower pattern.
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Set it aside to dry. If you have any puddles like this, it’s not ready! Drying can take awhile.
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When ready, pull your wet paper out and place it on a towel. Fold the towel over the paper.
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Very gently roll it with your rolling pin (or thermos or bottle!) to remove excess water.
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Carefully place your paper. Don’t adjust or it will smear! Top with a clean sheet of regular paper.
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If you have access to a printing press, use it. If not, firmly rub with the back of a wooden spoon.
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And/or slowly and firmly roll with your rolling pin or other roller.
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Reveal your work! Watercolor monotypes are unpredictable and surprising which makes them fun!
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I’ll do another two. Watch how much the wet colors swirl around. If you make a mistake, wipe it up.
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I’ll try one where I let it dry fully in between two stages for more control.
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After drying, the new colors interact less with the previous layer.
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When the plate is fully dry and the paper fully soaked, it’s time to print!
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Again, first towel paper. This time I’ll press hard everywhere to be sure I get all the color.
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Done! You can let your prints dry pressed between clean sheets of paper to make sure they dry flat.
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You can make a ghost print or paint back into your plates. Then wash and reuse them again and again!
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Elody Gyekis
Brooklyn and Pennsylvania based artist. Painter, sculptor, animator and community artist.
“Batik” Watercolors
Animated Paper Puppets
Decorative Tissue Paper: Potato Stamps
Decorative Tissue Paper: Tie Dye
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