* all images property of Jeff Phegley (www.jeffphegley.com)

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Monoprintopia








These monoprints were created a few years ago. I just found them, dusted them off and decided that they deserved their own entry.

Monoprints are really simple to create and can be printed by hand or in an etching press. These monoprints were created by hand. A sheet of plexi-glass was used as the matrix. Etching ink was finger-painted onto the surface of the plexi-glass. Some tools such as toothpicks and q-tips were used to create the finer line work. Once the desired image was achieved a sheet of Rives BFK was soaked in water for 5 minutes. The paper was pulled from the water, blotted and set over the plexi-glass. A bakers rolling pin was rolled over the back of the paper to transfer the image to the paper. Some hand burnishing was also used to achieve the proper transfer contrast. The paper was then lifted to reveal the image.

It is an immediate and very spontaneous way to create quick imagery with great tonal range.