Monoprinting Fun

There were four of us yesterday at the Five play date. The thing that really interested me is that while we were all doing monoprinting, we were doing different types of things. 

I used a piece of stiff sheet of acetate (I think it is acetate but it is the stuff you buy at quilt shops to cut out templates or cut for stencils, do you know what I mean?).  I used multiple colors of fabric paint, fabric printing ink, and FW Inks thickened with base extender.  I applied them by dotting them onto the sheet and then spreading with a sponge breyer.   I used some weeds from the yard to act as a resist and laid them on top of the paint.  I then layered mystery fabic--not cotton but maybe rayon--on top of the paint/leaves. 

To make my direct print I pressed the fabric either with my hands or with another breyer so that the paint printed on the fabric.  My second print or shadow print was made by removing the weeds and placing a second piece of fabric on the acetate sheet.  The paint left under the plants then printed onto the fabric.  My third print was made by placing the paint covered weeds onto a third piece of fabric and pressing so the paint on the plants transfered to the fabric.  I made a 4th print by spraying my acetate sheet with water to wet the remaining paint so it would transfer.  Beth has posted that picture.

Marcella and Charlene used a different technique.  Marcella used a piece of flexible plastic while Charlene used a piece of stiff plexiglass as their base.  They spread the paint and then manipulated it.  Marcella primarily used a credit card to move it around.  Charlene used a variety of stamps to leave impressions in the paint. Once they had created a pattern in the paint that they liked, they then printed it on fabric.  Here are some of Marcella's prints.