stencils in monotype

Arranged for a story, here I used the stencils to keep ink off the paper

Different stencil, same idea, except I worked to get lots of texture in the inked part

Here I flipped the stencil from above and inked the stencil

It was a full evening in the print shop. I really enjoyed the added interest of the stencils and the possibility of creating stories with the shapes.

The two "cartoon characters" are sketches I did from a live college production of "Cinderella." The bustles made me laugh!

prep for monotype

Last week in my printmaking class, Joseph Mann showed us several prints he made using stencils. I was intrigued with how a simple stencil allowed for more freedom with the ink on the rest of the monotype. Using stencils is not a new idea, but since it is a new idea for me, I feel like someone has gunned the engine of my creativity.

Above you see some of my stencil ideas. They are cut from copy paper, and I will use them tomorrow when I do my prints. Oh, the possibilities!

Speaking of prints, today I went with a friend to see the Portland Art Museum exhibit of Japanese prints. Some of these treasures date back to the 1600s! The exhibit will be on until January 2012. If you can, come and see it! Some of these prints were in the show, enjoy this video on Japanese prints by master printers, Hokusai and Hiroshige.