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On Interlochen printmaking class: Contact Monoprint

A contact monoprint by me from 2007

One of the techniques that we'll start with in the Interlochen printmaking workshop is called contact monoprint. It's a very quick and satisfying way to make a print. What you do is roll out a thin layer of ink on a sheet of glass or plexiglass, place a piece of paper over that, then draw on the paper. This brings the paper into contact with the ink - the heavier you draw, the darker the impression will be. When you lift the paper and turn it over, you see a unique 'fuzzy' style of line that is very much a printmaking mark.

Here are some contact monoprints from a class I taught a few years ago - only one of whom had any prior art experience:



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