I have used regular watercolors for monoprinting - additive method:
1. brush plate with gum arabic and let dry
2. paint on plate with watercolors (the gum arabic helps the paint stay
where you want it) Allow to dry
3. soak paper and blott off excess water (I use old towels as blotters).
4. lay damp paper over plate (top with a sheet of newsprint) - rub with the
flat side of wooden spoon to transfer color to damp paper OR run though an
etching press.
I have used acrylic screen printing ink for subtractive method
1. roll a layer of ink onto plexiglas plate
2. scrap into plate removing some ink - non -objective designs work best
(see my site for examples). Make different kinds of scraping tools with old
credit cards and strips of cardboard (little knotches make neat designs). A
faux painting rubber knotched tool works well too. (Do not allow the ink to
dry).
3. place dry paper over the plate. White ink and balc paper work very
nively for this method.
Trace method using block printing ink
1. roll black ink over plexiglass plate
2. lay dry paper over top
3. put copy of drawing on top and trace over lines - the pressure of the
pen or pencil willl transfer lines to the paper. If you press your hand
onto the surface of the paper it will also pick up some dark smudges of
ink. We try to keep from touching the drawing.
4. If you have a press- you can run the plate - with paper on top- through
the press and pick up a nice ghost - or negative image from the plate;
