Canna Leaf Monotype

Canna
(click image to see detail)

My instructor brought in a very large Canna Leaf from her garden for me to make a monotype with. These prints are 22 x 28 inches. I had to use a full sheet of paper. It was my first time doing so. I had to have other class members help me align the paper to the plate.

At first I didn't want to use the leaf, in fear of making a mistake. In the end I'm really glad I did. It came out so nice. We ran the leaf through the press twice so the juices wouldn't ruin the prints. I ran the first print on newsprint. Then peeled off the leaf leaving the first initial ink on the plate. I really like this method. I love how you see the veins in the leaf. Overall I got three prints from the leaf. With the amount of ink I used, I could have got 5 prints.

I did run into one problem, the paper warped slightly. I'm not sure how to prevent this when drying my prints. It happens often. I place them on a flat surface, yet they warp upward.

Leaf Series - Monotype

I had a great time experimenting with fresh leaves.
I also was able to get 3 prints from the same plate.
The cognate or ghost print was always better than the first.
The details of the leaves came out really well.

Gum Arabic Transfers of Detroit

These were created from my original photos of Detroit.
I then made xerox copies of them and used a gum arabic transfer method with sepia ink to create the final print.

For all those that commented:
It is a process where you wipe a gum arabic solution over your xerox and it is resisted by the black areas. This allows you to roll your inked brayer over the xerox and coat all the black areas with ink. Meanwhile your white areas stay clean and clear.
A high contrast image is best.

I made a lovely series of three like these, but in blue, for my friend back in March.