Monotype

A monotype is a print, but with one major difference from other printmaking processes: the artist creates exactly one print, instead of multiples (called editions). This is due to the way a monotype is made. To make a monotype, the artist applies paint or ink directly onto the plate — which can be metal, glass, plexiglass, or even gelatin. The plate is pressed against the paper to transfer the ink usually with a printing press or sometimes by hand. The results is a one-of-a-kind print that cannot be duplicated.

Mokulito

Mokulito (“wood lithography” in Japanese) is a technique developed in Japan in the 1970s by Ozaku Schisi. Like traditional lithography, mokulito relies on the fact that water and oil do not mix and the image is painted using a grease-like substance called tusche onto the printing plate. Unike traditional lithography that uses a stone or metal, the image for a mokulito is painted or drawn on a plywood plate. Because wood is an organic substance, the image changes slightly each time the plate is printed, meaning that editions are small and variable, with results depending on factors such as the the particular piece of wood and the weather. As the printing session progresses, the grain of the wood gradually becomes more dominant, often producing the evocative wood textures that are so characteristic of this technique.

Carborundum

Carborundum is a grit that is used in Lithography to help ground the stones down so that the surface of the stone is perfect to draw and print from. There are three different kinds of Carborundum grit used – Rough, medium and fine, which you combine with glue till it has the consistency of paint. You then apply it to your plate in the same way you would a paint. Once dried, the plate is inked and wiped like any etching plate and put through a press. The results are a variation of tones from very deep black to soft gray. If using more than one color, you can get a transparency effect, but you must add transparency medium to the ink in order to achieve that result.

Chine collé

Chine collé (French, “Chinese paste”). A process used for adhering a thin paper of a different color or texture onto a larger, heavier sheet during the printing process, using glue to dampen and coat the papers. Originally used for adding color and support to the paper, chine collé is now often used for the varied texture it provides or for the way the different papers absorb ink.