This is a 4.5 x 6 inch monotype ghost print & watercolor titled "Five More Minutes". A few people have asked about the process, so I'm posting more details here.
Monotypes can be created with any medium that will transfer from a smooth plate to a sheet of paper. You paint on a plate, and press the wet painting against a sheet of paper, either by using a press, or by hand with a brayer, or a baren, etc. There are lots of mediums to try.... oil paints, etching or relief inks, water soluble crayons, etc.
In this piece, I rolled black etching ink onto a smooth zinc plate with a rubber brayer. This shows a reference sketch, and the plate after I moved and pushed and wiped the ink around to make my sleeping figure.
After rolling the plate through the press against a sheet of BFK Rives printmaking paper (below), I'm pulling the print off the plate (on the press bed). The image will print in reverse of what's on the plate. 
The photo on the left shows the print, next to the plate I pulled it from. Notice there are still faint remnants of ink on the plate. When you have enough ink left over to press a second sheet of paper against the plate, it's called a ghost print. Ghosts are my favorite monotypes, because they're such a soft, perfect under-painting for a watercolor. After I printed the ghost of "Five More Minutes", I washed the plate clean of any remaining ink, and made something else. There are no permanent marks on the plate, so with a monotype, you'll usually create one print and one ghost of your painting.
The image at the top of this post is the ghost print, with watercolor painted on top of the ink.
There's more work like this, with process shots, through out this blog. Enjoy!
The topic for Illustration Friday on Feb 9, 2007 is Crash. (She's crashed, all right.)
15 comments:
I love this one too! Five More Minutes, the story of my life as I am once again up at 1 a.m. looking at art blogs when I have to be at work tomorrow. But I had to comment on this - as all of your work - love it.
Thanks too for posting your methods. I am beginning to understand more. When you put the ink on the plate for this, did you have a sketch that you worked from or did you just create it on the plate? Am I correct in working with the ink on the plate in this manner is like reverse or subtractive method of drawing where you have the charcoal or graphite and then use your eraser to "draw".
Beautiful Belinda, you are so kind sharing your techniques ;). Tomorrow I will add your link on my links!!
Your works are amazing!
Beautiful! Love all the info, too - this is something I've always wanted to try!
Awesome! I'd love to try this.
Oh I enjoyed the process here SO much. I'm going to have to have a go! I've donbe other printing before but never monoprinting....
You have a great talent! Thanks for sharing it.
I'm going to link you to my blog if that's okay!
Hi Belinda, This piece is stunning. I love the shadow under the women's chin, the purples and greens. It stirs me to want to try my hand at monoprinting. Whenever I find the time, I'm going to attempt it and see what may come. You're work is amazing!
very nice work!
lovely work
Very impressive, Belinda. I love monotypes, too. Yours are gorgeous!
Lovely work.
wow! great work. thanks 4 sharing!
Oh-- this is my favorite kind of crashing! I love monoprints, and I'd never heard of ghost prints-- very cool! Thanks for sharing your process!
very very very nice...I think one of my favorite classes in college was printmaking. I really thought I would latch on to intaglio but monoprints ended up being my favorites...
I love your work! Thank you so much for sharing your process. I was really into printmaking in college, but we never did monotypes. I think I'll have to try this a little bit. I like the feeling that the ghost print gave to the paint on top of it!
Again, I love your work!
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