Monotype and Monoprint

Monoprinting and monotyping are similar but not identical. Both involve the transfer of ink from a plate to the paper, canvas, or other surface that will ultimately hold the work of art.

Monoprints are generally made by taking a single impression of an image from a reprintable block. Plates may also be inked in a way that is expressive and unique in the strict sense, in that the image cannot be reproduced exactly.

Monotypes have no fixed elements. They are much closer to painting in many ways. The image is created by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. The surface, or matrix, was historically a copper etching plate, but in contemporary work it can vary from zinc or glass to acrylic glass.

Most of my monotypes are made using a synthetic gelatine as the matrix, so allowing prints to be made without a press.