Art & Design; Printmaking - Mono-printing

Mono-printing is a one off impression of an image or lines, created using metal plates, etching or a wooden block. Unlike other forms of printmaking that allow multiple copies of a single image to be created, Mono-printing only has the capacity for a single impression.

Mono-print techniques can include collage, hand painting or a form of tracing where ink is laid down, paper is placed on top and the design is then drawn on, this transfers the ink to the paper in the style of the drawing. This last technique is the one I used to create my mono-prints.

The first mono-print I did was the one on the right hand side, for this one I was simply using different tools to create different marks. This was a tester to see exactly what effects I could come up with. I then moved onto a second piece, I decided to try and draw a self portrait on this piece, I think it came out quite well, I particularly like the amount of control you can have over the final outcome - this could come in useful once I come up with a concept for my work.

After testing out different marks and testing the limits of control over the final piece I decided to try and impose my own style onto the print. I have a fascination with geometric design, so I decided to try and add some shapes into the design, this worked out extremely well as there was still a subtle impression of the self portrait on the paper too. I'm very happy with the final outcome and wouldn't change anything about it, it's laid a foundation for me to build on and has now given me the idea to pursue a geometric theme will the inclusion of a portrait to link in the identity from the brief.