What is a monoprint?
David J Webb with Setaria geniculata corsage
A monoprint is a print made from an unstable matrix; that is, the matrix either is obliterated by the act of printing, or it shifts in ways that make pulling another exact print impossible. Because each is different and original, they are not numbered; the frequently seen 1/1 is a mistake in nomenclature. My botanical monoprints are also direct prints, a type of printing in which an object is given a coating of ink, then touched to paper to draw off a reversed image. The process is somewhat similar to a frottage, or rubbing, in which paper is placed over an object and a chalk stick is rubbed over the object to create an impression on the intervening paper. The main difference is that the monoprint is reversed while the frottage a correct and accurate rendition.
My first direct prints were fish prints, or gyotaku (gyo - fish; taku - taking an impression). The process is quite simple. Laying a fish on its side on freezer paper, I blot off the excess moisture with paper towels. When the fish is properly dry, I apply water-based relief ink with a roller until coated with a thin layer of ink. Then I place a thin sheet of mulberry paper on the fish and burnish with my palm protected with wax paper. When the paper is pulled away, a perfect impression of the fish is the result. Of course it takes considerable skill to make the fish print a work of art.
Botanical prints might be taken in this way, but it would not be very effective. My method involves several step. First the plant is pressed in an herbarium press between cardboard and newsprint until is is quite dry and very flat. This may take several changes of newsprint and as long as a month for drying to become complete. When that is done I bring the specimen into the print shop. I take a sheet of plexiglass and with a large roller lay out a thin layer of ink. I carefully place the plant onto this layer and arrange so there is as little overlap of leaves as possible. Covering with two layers of newsprint, I run the plexiglass through an etching press. The etching press applies significant pressure, about 600 pounds per square inch, which drives the ink into the matrix of the plant. If that plant is delicate, such as a rose petal, this process would destroy the plant material, so the botanical specimen must be rather sturdy. Ideal subjects for botanical monoprints are grasses, which possess an internal architecture that keeps the structure intact. There are parallel veins which act like little I-beams to preserve the leaf blades. The roots are usually very strong, too, so impressions of the roots can be very intricate and beautiful.
Once the plant has been run through the press, it is stuck into the ink layer, and must be delicately pulled up without breaking. This generally involves forceps and needle probes, and working slowly to keep from fragmenting the specimen. When it is free from the bed of ink, I hold up carefully and flip it over to present the ink-side up, and lay it on a clean sheet of plexiglass. Once it is in position, I use a cotton applicator to place ink in in those areas that received no ink, then check to make sure that there are no unwelcome stray ink marks from the positioning of the specimen. I position a clean sheet of paper on top of the specimen and slowly let drop. If if falls incorrectly, there is no possibility to re-position, so working deliberately is required. When the paper is resting on the inked specimen, I cover with newsprint and run through the press a final time to produce the print. This is placed on the drying rack for a couple of days until it can be safely handled.
I use various kinds of paper for botanical monoprints depending on the type of plant material and final effect I am striving for. For larger specimens up to 42" the paper should be robust, such as BFK Rives with a weight of 250 or 275 gm/m-2. This paper must be dampened before printing to form to the specimen and transfer a good quantity of ink. Dampening has the additional effect of embossing the paper with the form of the plant, a process than lends a subtle sculpturing contouring that sometimes makes it seem like the plant is actually present in three dimensions. For a more delicate look I use thinner papers: Japanese papers like Kitakata, Okawara, or other similar papers such as Lokta from Tibet. These papers are run through dry, and hold less embossing.
The simplicity of the image is its strongest quality, and the signature interrupts that clarity. Most often I sign and title these prints on the back, giving Genus and species as the title. When I print on thin paper (Kitakata, Lokta, Mulberry) on which signatures would show through, I sign on the front in the traditional manner.
My first direct prints were fish prints, or gyotaku (gyo - fish; taku - taking an impression). The process is quite simple. Laying a fish on its side on freezer paper, I blot off the excess moisture with paper towels. When the fish is properly dry, I apply water-based relief ink with a roller until coated with a thin layer of ink. Then I place a thin sheet of mulberry paper on the fish and burnish with my palm protected with wax paper. When the paper is pulled away, a perfect impression of the fish is the result. Of course it takes considerable skill to make the fish print a work of art.
Botanical prints might be taken in this way, but it would not be very effective. My method involves several step. First the plant is pressed in an herbarium press between cardboard and newsprint until is is quite dry and very flat. This may take several changes of newsprint and as long as a month for drying to become complete. When that is done I bring the specimen into the print shop. I take a sheet of plexiglass and with a large roller lay out a thin layer of ink. I carefully place the plant onto this layer and arrange so there is as little overlap of leaves as possible. Covering with two layers of newsprint, I run the plexiglass through an etching press. The etching press applies significant pressure, about 600 pounds per square inch, which drives the ink into the matrix of the plant. If that plant is delicate, such as a rose petal, this process would destroy the plant material, so the botanical specimen must be rather sturdy. Ideal subjects for botanical monoprints are grasses, which possess an internal architecture that keeps the structure intact. There are parallel veins which act like little I-beams to preserve the leaf blades. The roots are usually very strong, too, so impressions of the roots can be very intricate and beautiful.
Once the plant has been run through the press, it is stuck into the ink layer, and must be delicately pulled up without breaking. This generally involves forceps and needle probes, and working slowly to keep from fragmenting the specimen. When it is free from the bed of ink, I hold up carefully and flip it over to present the ink-side up, and lay it on a clean sheet of plexiglass. Once it is in position, I use a cotton applicator to place ink in in those areas that received no ink, then check to make sure that there are no unwelcome stray ink marks from the positioning of the specimen. I position a clean sheet of paper on top of the specimen and slowly let drop. If if falls incorrectly, there is no possibility to re-position, so working deliberately is required. When the paper is resting on the inked specimen, I cover with newsprint and run through the press a final time to produce the print. This is placed on the drying rack for a couple of days until it can be safely handled.
I use various kinds of paper for botanical monoprints depending on the type of plant material and final effect I am striving for. For larger specimens up to 42" the paper should be robust, such as BFK Rives with a weight of 250 or 275 gm/m-2. This paper must be dampened before printing to form to the specimen and transfer a good quantity of ink. Dampening has the additional effect of embossing the paper with the form of the plant, a process than lends a subtle sculpturing contouring that sometimes makes it seem like the plant is actually present in three dimensions. For a more delicate look I use thinner papers: Japanese papers like Kitakata, Okawara, or other similar papers such as Lokta from Tibet. These papers are run through dry, and hold less embossing.
The simplicity of the image is its strongest quality, and the signature interrupts that clarity. Most often I sign and title these prints on the back, giving Genus and species as the title. When I print on thin paper (Kitakata, Lokta, Mulberry) on which signatures would show through, I sign on the front in the traditional manner.
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