I have rarely had the opportunity to try print-making before. Last night, however, at the life-drawing group I attend each week, we were all asked to try our hands at mono prints. It really is quite a challenge to do a drawing of a live model and get a grip of a new medium at the same time, but I survived. In fact, after blundering about a bit I ended up by being fairly pleased with the result. It wasn’t exhibition standard, but it is a respectable piece.
In case you are not familiar with this technique, it involves rolling ink one to smooth surface in a very think layer, then laying a sheet of paper on this surface. The design can then be made with any firm object, drawing onto the paper, but it this drawing is not the object of interest. When the paper is peeled away from the inked board a design has been made on the reverse side of the paper.
All sorts of implements can be used to make the initial marks, including finger nails and the blunt end of a pencil. The result is marks with a wide variety of characteristics and textures. It is possible to lay the paper over a succession of surfaces treated with different coloured inks, although this does require great care in order to ensure that the colour only attaches to the correct bit of the design. Any accidental mark will be registered.
I’m not sure that I will make a habit of this, as it would require me to lay out money for the equipment, and there is no specific purpose that I can say, at the moment, would be served best by this technique. Nevertheless, it has widened my view of the possibilities, and perhaps given me a greater appreciation of what other people produce with this technique.
An accidental result of the experience does appear to have been a lightening of my mood, and an emerging sense of some kind of artistic purpose. You never know: I might actually be able to paint again next week!
PS: I did have one experience of print-making many years ago. At that time I was doing a fair bit of voluntary youth work, and faced with the task of running an art session with a bunch of industrial apprentices, I devised a method that amused us all. I created a series of crude wooden frames across which I fixed J-cloths.* It was then possible to block out areas of the cloth with PVC glue, and try a very rough and ready form of screen-printing. A good time was had by all, although I don’t recall any great artistic success …. and I’ve never learned to do it properly.
*J-cloths are thin, very loosely-woven sheets that are used usually to mop up kitchen spills and the like. I have a suspicion that they are actually made of paper.