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.