Monoprinting with Watercolor made simple

Monoprinting with watercolor

A monoprint is just what it says...mono, meaning one. You get one print from your plate, sometimes one or two "ghost" prints, which are lighter and pick up less paint.

Why do a monoprint, when the whole point of "printing" is to get multiple images from one plate?

Let's look at the process before I answer that.

Supplies you need are very simple, and you probably have around the house:

1. A clear "plate": that could be plexiglas, stretched plastic wrap, glass, yupo, or, as I've used here, a cheap cutting mat from the Dollar Tree.

2. Tube watercolors

3. A small brush, not too soft or floppy

4. tray of water

5. towel

6. a pile or tablet of inexpensive newsprint

7. printing papers....this can be watercolor, card stock, masa, or just about any paper you want to try.

8. A drawing to set under the plate.

9. Alcohol to clean the plate.

When I used plexiglas, I "roughed" it up a bit using steel wool. I need a plate that is slick enough to release the paint but with enough tack to hold the paint on until ready to print.

Step one: Clean the plate with alcohol to get rid of any oils that might keep the paint from sticking.

Step two: Put your drawing underneath the clear plate and tape it to the back.

Paint directly onto the plate using watercolor straight from the tube. Little or no water.

Allow it to dry completely. You can dry on a cool blow dryer if needed.

Cut the paper you want to print on to the size you want. Soak paper in a tray, then place inside a towel to absorb excess water. You want it wet, but not shiny.

Open your tablet of newsprint and set your painted plate inside.

Lay the damp paper over the painted plate, and gently pat onto paint.

Close the tablet and gently rub with your hand to encourage the paint onto the print paper.

You CAN use a brayer, but sometimes it puts too much pressure and smears the paint.

Your first print should be very colorful. Textures depend on what paper you have chosen to print on. We used print paper, copy paper, rice paper, and masa paper.

Below is the first print on the left. Second or "ghost" print in the middle; third ghost print on the right.

If you have letters or numbers on your picture, remember they will be printed backward, so you will have to paint them in reverse.

Here is a blue bird that I did a monoprint of.

Sunflowers on inexpensive watercolor paper and on card stock.

Cowboy Bob

Monoprinting on Yupo

In spite of the fact that paint on yupo slips and slides, it's not as much as on a plexiglas. So you CAN prepare a print on it without going directly from the tube, as long as the paint is fairly thick.

You can do it just as you would on plexiglas, but you can't see through it (unless you get the transparent kind), so you might have to draw first.

But there's another way to do this. You can cover your entire piece of yupo with paint and let it dry.

Then, using water and a fine brush, remove paint to create whites. 

Then continue to paint in details where you want them. 

Use the same process for wetting and blotting your paper and rubbing to make the print come off.

A brayer works on this better than the other kind for some reason. 

Below you can see the painted yupo, the first print and the ghost print .

So back to the original question...Why would you bother to do a monoprint?

Some people use it to experiment quickly with color combinations before they commit to a larger more complicated piece. You can use it to make cards that you want to be original. You don't have to keep drawing it over and over again, because the drawing is taped to the back of the plate, and you can always see it. 

A monoprint can be an original unique piece of art itself. You can easily make changes on it by wiping mistakes off the plate with water. and can use it without a drawing to be completely expressive. You can use it for the base of a pen and watercolor painting, especially some of the ghost prints. 

 Also, you can use extremely inexpensive materials. You don't need super high quality watercolor paper to get an attractive result

 

 

Dragonflies

 Dragonflies

DRAGONFLIES

I was wandering through Louise DeMasi's old posts and found a whimsicle painting of dragonflies. I loved how loose they looked, and I have a fondness for pen and ink. Hers was the inspiration for this. However, I used for reference photos from Unsplash from Kalai Venthan and Jude Infantarie.

This can be done with background last or first, and I'm showing it both ways.

Background Last

Draw your dragonflies, then go over them with waterproof ink. Be sure to vary the line sizes, some thick, some thin. I also wanted to leave some space around the wings (that is, don't completely enclose the wing) because I wanted it to have some feeling of movement. ERASE pencil lines.

I did the wings wet into wet, using just 3 colors (also in Louise DeMasi's tutorial). I like magenta, yellow, and pthalo blue. (I hardly ever use pthalo because it stains, but I don't need to do any lifting, so I felt free to use it here.)  Choose your own color combination. Start with a color you absolutely love, and choose 2 others that will go well with it.

Wet one wing, damp, no puddles. Drop in one of your colors (I started with yellow), then drop in another to blend on the paper. Try to avoid putting 2 colors together that will make a brown or gray.  Leave white space in the wings.

Continue painting the wings, wetting above or below and allowing some of the paint to flow into background areas.

When the wings are dry, paint the body. The wings should look wispy and dreamy, but the body is hard edged. Take your time and paint a section at a time. Wet the section, then with a small brush, apply the paint on one side and let the water move it to the other side. You are trying to make a rounded effect. If at first you don't get it, let it dry, and glaze over it again. 

Be fun and colorful. After all, whatever crazy colors you might choose, Nature can always make it crazier.

To make the background, Wet a section with a large brush, and drop the same colors into it, allowing them to run and bleed together. In this one, I chose to put saran wrap over it to create texture, but you can use bubble wrap, salt, a spray if you choose.

BACKGROUND FIRST

Draw your dragonflies, then ink them in, using different widths of pen. Also remember to ERASE all pencil lines.

Wet the paper with a large brush. Drop in some of your chosen colors, letting them bleed together. You can encourage the paint to move with a spray bottle also. On this one, I didn't use any texture, but while the paint is wet you can texture with wrap, bubble wrap, etc.

After it is dry, work on the wings, same as above.

Then work on the body parts, as above. Try to make these more solid looking.

When dry, go ahead and make any corrections and additions with pen, if you choose. Also, be sure that your colors have balance...if there is pink on the wing, be sure to carry a bit of that color on the other side.

My preference, after doing them both, was the second one, where you do the background first.

Sea Turtle revisited

SEA TURTLE REVISITED

Here is the photo reference I took from Unsplash taken by Randall Ruiz.

I loved the effect of the turtle skimming over the bottom of a reef, and wanted to get that in my painting. 

I also loved the glow of light in the bottom.

I had several objectives when teaching this:

1. Get the feeling of water over rocks without using salt or plastic wrap.

2. Show how to preserve shapes with contact paper

3. Try out some of my "fun" colors, like cobalt teal and Sleeping Beauty

4. Demonstrate how to do a large wash without getting hard edges.

First step was to sketch the turtle on 100% cotton paper. Hot or cold press.

(Besides preferring it, you need cotton for the contact paper to be removable without ripping your paper.)

Step 2: Cover your paper with contact paper.  (Or you can cut out the outer turtle shape on the contact paper with scissors.) Using an exacto, gently cut around the outer turtle shape. Leave the contact paper on the turtle and remove the rest. Press the edges down around it to seal.

The purpose of the contact paper is to protect the turtle shape and allow me to be as free and loose as I like on the water.

Colors: Choose three blues in the green bias range. You should have one that does not get dark, like cobalt teal, Sleeping Beauty, or fuschite. Choose another that gets medium, but not very dark, like cyan, cerulean, peacock, or manganese. For the dark, we used Prussian, a color I rarely use, but is popular with a lot of artists. You can add a little green to make it more tropical if you only have cobalt blue.

Make a puddle of each color, so that the color is ready and completely dissolved. Puddle should not be real watery, or the paint will be too light.

Have clean water ready. It can be in a spray bottle or just in a cup.

Using a larger brush, such as a 3/4 inch flat, wet the paper in the area you want to work. Don't try to do all the background at once. The secret is to keep one edge wet, and only paint up to about an inch from that edge. 

Begin by adding your light color. Apply it in short strokes, not dots or dabs. Try to keep your strokes in the same direction. You don't need to cover all the paint or blend it with the brush, the water will blend it for you. Drop in some of the medium paint color until you are happy with the effect. The dark color is added while wet to indicate the cracks in the rocks, in broken lines. I used the edge of the flat brush for the darks.

Move to the next area while you wait for the first area to dry.

NOW WATCH YOUR PAINT DRY.

When the painted part has lost its shine, but is not dry dry, spatter droplets of clean water onto the paint. It should make tiny spots, similar to a salt effect but softer. You can also spatter some more paint into it.

Don't mist or oversaturate the area. 

What water drops look like

Here are some examples of student water result. Note they are not all the same, but they all look like water.

Completely dry the background with the contact paper in place. DRY ON COOL, or stick on the back of a fan and let the air pull through. It only needs to be completely dry around the turtle so you can pull off the contact paper without tearing the paper or disturbing the paint.

THE TURTLE

Remove the contact paper.

The first thing I did was take some of the pale blue from my palette dirt, and lightly glaze over the neck and parts of the flippers and legs. I want them to appear to be in the water. I still left some white. It effectively separates the appendages from the shell.

Pale blue over neck and flippers 

Pale blue over legs where they touch the shell

Basically, I used 2 colors for the shell: Quin burnt orange and ultramarine blue. If you don't have quin burnt orange, just use burnt sienna with a bit of warm red in it. The blue and orange will create a nice dark brown.

Note the segments of the shell have a slight fan shaped pattern on each one. I did them one by one so I could recreate this effect. I wet the segment (no puddles); used a #6 brush and quin burnt orange to make radiating lines (the wet paper will soften them), then added the blue at the bottom, dark edge of the pattern. I tried to leave a soft white spot at the center of the radiant.

Leave white space in between the segments. I want this hard line, but will calm it at the end.

Don't worry, you can use water and a small brush at the end if you don't get the pattern you like. Also, they don't ALL have to look perfect...just a few with the radial pattern will give the effect to all of it

Appendages and head.

Had to use a small brush to get the tiny spots on head and flippers. Same colors as the shell, but added a little green tone here and there. Also, vary the lightness and darkness of the spots.

Making the entire shell rounded.

First I took clean water on my brush and washed over SOME of the hard white lines outlining the shell segments. This loosens some of the paint and pulls it into the crevices. You still have a hard edge, but it isn't so stark white. I still want SOME of the pure white to stay. 

I wanted the shell to look more rounded. I darkened the outer right and bottom sides of the shell (still using ultramarine blue and quin burnt orange, just darker) and had to lift some hi-lights in the center of the shell. 

(On this one, I made the mistake of trying to make one of the shell patterns have dark lines, and I

really don't like it as well as the soft ones. )

 

Traveling with Watercolors

Chances are you will be traveling this summer or fall. You probably envision yourself sketching and painting on location. Or maybe just want something to do in the hotel room. So this past week we had a conversation about some possible ways to make that a reality. 

THE SKETCHBOOK

Sylvia had a great compact carry-all for all her supplies. She does a lot of pen and ink and watercolor in a sketchbook form. I wish I'd photographed some of her supplies, but you are stuck with mine.

 Below is one of my favorites, because of its size, the type of paper, and the spiral binding. This is Kilimanjaro watercolor Paintbook from Cheap Joe. (It is only sold from Cheap Joe's) The paper is 100% cotton, 140 pound OR 300 lb.  It comes in 9 x 12 or the 10 x 5.5. Between each sheet of watercolor paper is a sheet of drawing paper. You can do sketches on the drawing paper or just use it as a protector. Both back and front can be painted on. The 9 x 12 also comes portrait or landscape. It's very durable and can be used for both quick studies or for finished product.

To me, it's only down side is that it is heavy. If you are looking for something small and light to carry into the field, then look at some other choices. The other downside is that it is only at Cheap Joe, so you need a good size order for free shipping.

(Sylvia did find an alternative for a long narrow paint book--it's by Arches. I'd never seen it before, but I believe she got it locally)

   

Below are some favorites on a smaller scale.

Left: Hand book by Global Art Materials(about 5 x 8); Right: Winsor & Newton water colour (about 5 x 7);Stillman and Birn (beta series) about 7 x 10.

The Hand Book is stitched, so that when you open it you can use 2 pages to make a longer painting. NOT 100% cotton, so the color blends are not as smooth, but great for ink, pencil, or pen and wash, or watercolor pencil. 

The Winsor & Newton is water colour aquarelle paper and blends watercolor nicely. It has a cold press texture and 140 pounds. The spiral binding makes it easy to use. The pages are perforated so they can be easily removed. 

The Stillman and Birn is not 100% watercolor paper, but is still a favorite of many artists who travel. The paper is a nice weight, with a smoother texture for pen and ink. You can still get pretty good blends with your watercolors. It is about 7 by 10 inches, giving a bit more room to sketch, and is spiral bound.

The photo on the right shows the Stillman and Birn on top, then Winsor Newton, and Handbook on the bottom.

  

These last two are also fun, tho not 100% cotton. The square one I ordered from Temu for under $6. Stitched and pages are about 5 x 5. The other is Strathmore I found in Walmart. It doesn't have the traditional Strathmore weave that I hate, and it's fun to paint in a long format.

    

OR CUSTOM MAKE YOUR OWN

I've made my own to suit myself. This first one is a small 3 ring binder that I have attached a zipper pouch to carry my pencil, pens, and brushes & misc. items. I've cut larger sheets of paper to 6 x 9 sheets (or you can order them that way through Bee paper). This way I can use any type of paper I like: cold press, hot press, yupo, sketch paper, etc. and have a variety of choices in the same paint book.

I've also done it with a regular size 3 ring binder, putting in a variety of papers, protecting them with sleeve protectors so I don't have holes in the papers. I can also keep challenge lists and reference photos in there. I keep a larger zipper pouch for miscellaneous items and brushes. The hard cover is a good surface to tape or clip my paper to. 

I'm most likely to take this one on short trips to visits kids and grandkids, who might like to paint or sketch along with me. I have paper to share.

How about no sketchbook? Here is just a clipboard with paper clipped to it. 

Here is a sketchbook I made out of one large sheet of 22 x 30 watercolor paper. You can choose whatever paper and weight you like. Named a "meander" book, it opens similarly to accordian style, and lets you make paintings as wide as you like.

I probably use this one the most when traveling light. You do have to bring a clip or band to hold the pages together when you work, as it tends to come unfolded unless you do.

You end up with 32 7.5 by 5 inch pages to paint on (16 pieces back and front)--30 if you glue a cover onto it. There is a you tube on how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO1yppftymQ

WHAT TO PAINT WITH

I like this compact paint travel kit, The Portable Painter. It has wells for mixing, a small brush, and 12 empty half pans that you fill with your own choices of paint. The case attaches to the palette for holding water and brushes. It fits right over the top of your leg, so you can paint without balancing a palette.

Notice that I made a swatch card of the paints I put in the palette. 

Handy water cups and fits over your leg.

Extra paints can be stored in empty half pans. You can put them in an Altoids box for safe traveling.

If you really want to travel light, use a mechanical pencil. There are all kinds out there and all kinds of leads. The one below is a 2mm lead, quite thick, and doesn't break easily at all. I'm using a 2B or 4B lead in it so I can easily shade my drawings. I also have an inexpensive one with .7 lead for light drawings that I don't want to show through the paint. With a mechanical pencil, you don't need to bring a pencil sharpener. (Altho this one comes with a razor thin one).

When it comes to brushes, I usually don't like the travel brushes that come with small palettes. And I'm usually not going to do any large washes that require a big brush. So I bring a 6 or 8 round with a nice tip, and maybe a flat brush.

A nice option is the water brushes shown below. You fill them with water and they are ready to go. To clean the brush, squeeze gently to get a small bead of water on the brush, then wipe with paper towel or rag until no paint comes off.  It takes a little practice to use one, but they are great for airplanes and to use with water color pencils. 

TIP: Water brushes screw on and off in REVERSE to what you are used to. 

At the top of this picture is shown a retractable exacto knife. Handy to use for a pencil sharpener, to scratch out highlights, or anything else you might want a blade for. On the bottom is shown my watercolor pencils. These I would take if I am flying and want to paint or sketch on the plane or in the airport.

Here are a few items you might find useful: a small spray bottle; a pad to sit on (this is a puppy training pad, waterproof on one side); tissues; washi tape; a collapsible water bottle; small sponge; clips; and two brushes. Not pictured, but useful, are a small plastic ruler/straight edge (mine is also an angle finder, great if I am doing buildings or perspective), and an eraser. Also a small rag or a few paper towels to wipe your brush on. I also like to slip a few baby wipes into a zip loc bag. Amazing for removing paint from hands.

Also, if you want something more substantial to sit on, Jackie found these collapsible tri-pod seats on Amazon called the slacker chair:   https://www.amazon.com/TravelChair-1389VBK-Slacker-Chair-Black/dp/B000FXVAYW/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=B4R1V&content-id=amzn1.sym.fd890e16-d287-4109-9166-cf98a9958c4e&pf_rd_p=fd890e16-d287-4109-9166-cf98a9958c4e&pf_rd_r=4X85FF7TJSH9ZFPSDR42&pd_rd_wg=fNYa4&pd_rd_r=525499c7-6be0-4da5-a860-fdd472155f59&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m&th=1

And  there is a light weight telescoping stool for about $19:

https://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Telescoping-Portable-Retractable-Collapsible/dp/B09H73C55S/ref=sxin_17_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae%3Aamzn1.sym.749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae&crid=2YHN3UVZHO48K&cv_ct_cx=collapsible+seat+portable+2+pack&keywords=collapsible+seat+portable+2+pack&pd_rd_i=B09H73C55S&pd_rd_r=c8483b7c-e044-4d5b-be1f-2c8038299f57&pd_rd_w=n6yLZ&pd_rd_wg=7Ehmd&pf_rd_p=749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae&pf_rd_r=X74M4D1WJRZ18ZM4QS3S&qid=1687303371&sprefix=collapsible+portable+seat%2Caps%2C301&sr=1-2-2b34d040-5c83-4b7f-ba01-15975dfb8828-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

Find a backpack or camera case or similar case (some just like a fabric bag) to pack your gear in a way that makes everything compact and easy to get to. Something you are comfortable carrying.

So go out and practice painting outdoors. Pack what you think you will need, and go out on your porch or back yard and paint something. Don't let yourself go back to get something for 15-20 minutes.It won't take long before you'll discover a few things you wished you'd have brought. Is it windy? Do you wish you had clips or rubber band to hold down the paper?   Did you bring something portable for your water (to drink) and water to paint with? Is your equipment too heavy or uncomfortable to carry? 

Some things to remember about painting outdoors:

1. Your paper will dry faster if the air is dry and there is wind; slower if you are by the ocean and it is humid.

2. You will be tempted to put more in the picture than you can on the small page or in the small amount of time you have. A tip for drawing is to divide your paper in fourths lightly with a pencil. Put your center of interest in one of the interest points. Then work on the rest. This assures that you have room to put the most important things  

3. Some people like to put narrow washi tape around the border of the page to prevent paint from dripping onto other pages of the book.