Monotypes

Publication date: 2 August 2025

Monotype prints

Some definitions may be useful here!

What is a print?

A print, in the context of art, refers to an image created by transferring ink from a matrix (like a plate, block, or screen) onto a surface, usually paper, through pressure. It's an indirect process where the artist works on a separate surface to create the image that is then reproduced. Multiple copies, known as editions, are typically made, making it distinct from unique drawings or paintings.

What is a monotype?

A monotype is a single impression created from a matrix applied with paint or ink. Yielding only one print, this technique is unique in that it cannot produce an edition of multiples. The pigment that remains after the pull is often insufficient to make a second impression unless more is applied.

I create my monotypes by applying a layer of ink (usually Gamblin etching ink) to a tough plastic surface which I've pre-scored with an abrasive sanding pad (to provide a texture to the surface that will appear as part of the finished print).

I then create the image by removing some of the ink from the surface using a variety of tools, including cotton buds, cocktail sticks, abrasive pads and cloth.



Work in progress - a little messy...

When I think the image is ready to print, I place it on the bed of my etching press and cover it with a sheet of dampened Awagami washi paper (this is a very fiddly stage!)

After removing the printed paper there's no going back - there's not enough ink on the matrix to pull a second print - so if the image hasn't worked (usually because I've removed too much, or not enough, ink) I have to start from scratch (the ink is removed from the matrix, reapplied, and the process of drawing begins again).



Work in progress - the 'matrix' after an hour or two...

It takes me about a day to produce one of these images (they're quite large at 50x40cm) - so it's a two-day job if I have to start over!

Why do I make these, rather than my usual mezzotints?

I still make mezzotints, but the cost of their production is very high (about £300 for a larger prepared copper matrix, plus three to four weeks work to create the image, and the consumption of quite a lot of high-quality paper and ink), and it's hard to know if the resulting mezzotint will live up to my expectations because I have to wait for the image to arrive before I can be sure. Whereas, these monotypes are made with a re-usable matrix, a single sheet of paper and only one or two days of work - and the results are very close to the look of a mezzotint - so the best of my monotypes will very likely be the starting point for the production of a future mezzotint edition. Which is not to say that the monotype is 'less' than a mezzotint - these monotype prints are special to me in part because they are one-offs, and they have a look and feel that is unique and exciting - added to which, they encourage me to draw and create textures in different ways - which leads to new ways to explore the subject.


All of the prints shown below are available to purchase - please click here
(subject to availability!)