Nadelie Ng 


Unlike traditional printmaking, where a single plate or block can produce multiple impressions, **monotype printmaking** comes down to one defining idea: creating a unique print from a surface that can generally only be used once.

Monotype printmaking sits somewhere between painting and printmaking. Artists work directly onto a smooth surface, such as a metal, glass, or acrylic plate, applying ink or paint before transferring the image onto paper. The result is usually a **one-of-a-kind artwork**, rather than a numbered edition.

#### What Is Monotype Printmaking?

So, **what is monotype printmaking** exactly? A monotype is a print made by transferring an image from a non-absorbent plate onto paper. The artist creates the composition directly on the plate, often using brushes, rollers, rags, or other tools to manipulate the ink.

Once the paper is pressed against the plate, the image is transferred. Because most of the ink is removed during the process, producing the same image again is difficult, making each monotype impression distinctive.

#### How Does Monotype Printmaking Work?

The process can be surprisingly immediate.

##### 1. Preparing the Plate

The artist begins with a smooth, non-porous surface and applies a thin layer of ink or paint.

##### 2. Creating the Image

Instead of carving or permanently altering the plate, the artist draws, paints, wipes, or layers directly into the ink. Marks can be made with brushes, fingers, cloth, cotton swabs, or other tools.

##### 3. Transferring the Image

Paper is placed over the inked plate and passed through a press or carefully pressed by hand. The pressure transfers the image onto the paper.

##### 4. Revealing the Print

When the paper is lifted, the artist sees the final impression. Small variations in pressure, ink, texture, and movement can create unexpected effects.

#### Monotype vs. Other Printmaking Techniques

One of the easiest ways to understand monotype is to compare it with other forms of printmaking.

In **etching**, **linocut**, or **woodcut**, the artist creates a matrix that can usually produce multiple impressions. With monotype, the image itself is created through the application and manipulation of ink on the plate.

This makes monotype particularly fluid. The artist can work almost like a painter while still using the fundamental process of transferring an image from one surface to another.

#### Why Do Artists Choose Monotype?

The appeal of monotype lies partly in its unpredictability. An artist can plan a composition, but the final transfer may introduce subtle shifts, textures, and imperfections.

These qualities can give monotypes a sense of movement and spontaneity. They also allow artists to experiment with **colour, layering, texture, transparency, and gesture** without committing to a permanent mark on the plate.

For collectors, this means a monotype can offer the visual language of a print while retaining the individuality of a unique artwork.

#### A Print That Exists Only Once

Monotype printmaking challenges the idea that prints must exist in editions. While artists can sometimes create ghost prints or related impressions from the remaining ink, the original monotype is generally considered unique.

That tension between repetition and singularity is part of what makes the medium so compelling. Each print records not only the artist's image, but also the physical process that created it.

Whether bold and painterly or delicate and atmospheric, monotypes show how a single impression can capture an artwork in a moment of experimentation.

**Explore unique printmaking and contemporary artworks on Cohart.**


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One Print, One Impression: Understanding Monotype Printmaking

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