Monotype: Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking (Practical Art Books) [Hardcover]

Julia Ayres (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823031292 | ISBN-13: 978-0823031290 | Publication Date: May 1, 1991

Now in paperback! The art of monotype has experienced a surge of popularity in recent years, and artists working in other mediums will enjoy exploring the creative potential this process offers them. A brief history of monotype is followed by a comprehensive chapter on materials. The step-by-step instructions are accompanied by some of the finest examples of monotype being done today.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The first printmakers were cave people who painted their hands and slapped them against cave walls. Today, printmakers like Ayres still use methods nearly as simple. Others, like printmaker and painter Welden, have created completely new processes, like his solarplate method. Monotypes, the subject of Ayres's book, are created by applying oil- or water-based paint to a flat plate. By pressing a dampened sheet of paper to the plate, a single print is made. The earliest such prints go back to Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, around 1640. Later, Degas and Gauguin experimented with the method. Today, there is a virtual explosion of new ways to create monotypes. Ayres explores the work of a variety of such artists, who demonstrate imaging techniques, masks, stencils, collage, and mixed-media prints. The results vary from traditional images to eccentric, colorful fantasies. In 1972, Welden discovered that polymer printers' plates could be used in printmaking by exposing them to the sun. Draw on a transparency, place it over the plate, expose it to the sun, and the plate is, in effect, etched for printing. The method is now widely used, and Welden and Muir have produced the first book on this extremely versatile art. Both books are highly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Julia Ayres is an award-winning wildlife artist and frequent contributor to American Artist magazine. She and her husband David live in Chouteau, Oklahoma.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823031292
• ISBN-13: 978-0823031290
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource and Guide, February 6, 2000

By 

T. D. Powell (Redlands, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monotype: Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking (Practical Art Books) (Hardcover)

This book is a valuable resource of methods used in making monotypes. Ms. Ayres reviews every aspect of making a monotype from the tools, the ink or paint, and the process of transferring the image. All the printmaking terms used when describing this art are expertly explained and illustrated. It is clearly not a medium restricted to artists familiar with printmaking. The work of many artists are presented along with the ingenuity they have used to transfer their work. A very valuable resource book both for the artist and those wishing to learn more about this art form.

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great demonstation of incredible effects using monotype, April 29, 2002

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Monotype: Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking (Paperback)

There seems to be very limited information available on the technique of monotype. This book fills that void by demonstrating the incredible variety of effects possible using the monotype method. There are no projects, per se, rather it teaches techniques that help you create your own masterpieces. Many pieces of example artwork are found throughout the book.

A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by transferring a painted image to paper. The book starts out with an introduction to materials including plates, mediums, solvents, panting tools and paper as well as hand and press transfer equipment. It also covers studio safety and finding workshop facilities.

Techniques are next including working into a light or dark field and both hand and press transfer.
These include step-by-step instructions accompanied by demonstration photos. Working in specific mediums including watercolor, acrylics, water-soluble writing instruments, monoprint paints (Createx), oil paints, water-based oils and alkyds follows. A section discussing special oil-based printing inks for lithography, etching, printing and serigraphy is also here. There is even a chapter on special techniques including using masks & stencils, embossing and creating collages.

The final chapter gives an overview of monoprints, which combine monotype with other print making processes, and mixed-media monotypes. This includes intaglio, drypoint and engraving, as well as linocut and collagraphic monoprints.

There is a nice list of suppliers as well as interesting biographical notes on the artists featured in the back. This is a great book that displays the great diversity in mediums and results available with monotype.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for monoprinting, December 28, 2004

By 

Trish Meyer (Sandia Park, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monotype: Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking (Paperback)

I agree with the previous reviews - if you're creating monoprints, and particularly if you're looking for non-toxic methods, this is a great book. It's full color with many inspiring illustrations, and full of useful, practical information written in a friendly, down-to-earth manner.

Re. recommended paints: I recently had the pleasure of taking a monoprinting class with Julia Ayres and her daughter Gail Ayres (at the Art Methods & Materials Show in Pasadena, CA, Oct 2004). The Ayres now recommend using the new Akua-Kolor waterbased inks by Rostow & Jung (www.waterbasedinks.com) which I assume were not invented at the time this book was originally printed. The advantage is that these inks are non-toxic, clean up easily, and they stay moist for days. You then print to DRY printmaking paper, and the inks dry instantly once they hit the paper. Now you don't have to worry about the inks drying on the plate, or handling fragile, wet paper. (I shoved my Createx paints in a bottom drawer after the workshop!)

(If you get the opportunity, take a class with the Ayres if you're just getting started, as there's nothing quite like seeing the process in action and the book will make even more sense! They also teach using the PinPress Roller for making monoprints by hand; very useful if you don't have access to an expensive printing press.)