Mono Printing and Sellotape Transfers

Mono Printing and Sellotape Transfer

During this weeks lessons we have experimented with two new techniques, Mono printing and sellotape transfers. I have experimented with selotape transfers before however monoprinting was a technique i had never tried before. 

What is Mono Printing?

Monoprinting is a technique where the plate (or laminate covered paper) is covered in printing ink with a roller untill it is sticky. A piece of paper is then gently placed onto the ink but not pressed down. On top of the paper patterns or images can be drawn or traced using objects such as pencils, pens, your finger or nail, scissors or sticks. This creates a pattern that transfers onto the paper. If there is enough paint on the first piece of paper then you can place another piece of paper over the original piece of paper to make a second print that with be slightly different to the original. The technique gets its name because mono meaning 'one' because no print with ever be the same. 

First Mono print attempt.

What is Sellotape Transfer?

Sellotape Transfer is the second technique i tested. The process starts with a printed out picture or photocopy. Next sellotape is stuck over the whole image, overlapping to avoid holes or rips in the final product. The paper is then submerged into a bath of water and left for around 5 minutes. After the paper has been soaking in the water for a period of time it is then taken out. A sponge is then used to remove the paper from the sticky side of the sellotape where the ink from the origonal image will stick to the sellotape but the paper is removed.

Sellotape transfer

Creating a Piece using Both Techniques

Later in the lesson we used these techniques to create a final piece. First i photocopied a pattern from my sketchbook into black and white and proceeded to use the sellotape transfer technique to remove the pattern from the paper. While this was soaking in the water i used the mono print technique to create the second layer of my piece. Instead of using one colour, i used blue, red and yellow ink and rolled them to merge into a pattern and drew a swirl to create the second pattern. I then proceeded the finish the sellotape transfer and layered the two pieces onto one. This was the outcome:

Next i used a scalpel to cut triangles from the the transfer and print to create holes.

I then used the mono printing technique a second time but this time i used black ink and straight, sharp lines using scissors. I then transfered this print a second time.

First Print

I then layered all of these pieces together to create my final piece: