Monotype with Jef Gunn

my first (ever!) monotype print
half sheet, Arches 88

Today was the first of a two day workshop with acclaimed Portland artist Jef Gunn on Monotype. I have no experience with print-making, so everything was new to me. No wonder I am so tired!

Ray Neufer press
a piece of local (Portland) history

First things first. Paper, measured and torn into half sheets. I used Arches 88, which is used dry, but others used Rives BFK, which is used wet/damp. Maybe I will have a chance to try that tomorrow. In the photo above right, Jef demonstrates how to manipulate the inked plate using a Q-tip dampened with alcohol or odorless mineral spirits and scraped through the ink. He also used crumpled paper stamped into the ink for textured areas.

Here you can see an inked plate in a cradle before it goes through the press. The cradle keeps the plate from slipping when it goes through the rollers. The paper is marked and these registration marks are carefully lined up each time the piece is put through the press.

Every time a print goes through the press, there's a giddy moment of peeling up the paper to see what happened. I wanted to see every one that went through!

At the end of the day, the brayers, full of beautiful inks, have to be cleaned. All is ready for tomorrow and day two of the workshop!