Impressions of Nature - Monoprinting Nature Journal Project
Materials for Monoprinting
List of Materials with links to products on Amazon as starting point.
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INK – I am using Cranfield – Caligo Safe wash ink (either etching or relief ink I use both) Black HERE, White HERE you can also use Akua HERE, speedball HERE (all colours) or Scola ink HERE ,you can use oil based inks or oil paints and acrylics at a push if its all you have but you don’t get the detail and if you are working with children poster paints do work.
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SURFACE A smooth non-porous – I am using a sheet of glass but it can be a piece of Perspex or a laminated sheet. Or these monoprinting sheets HERE
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A ROLLER/BRAYER I like the black Essdee roller HERE as it is a medium hard rubber roller, but you can use other types of printmaking rollers or a sponge roller if that’s all you have (or with children)
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PAPER – I am using cartridge paper 220 gsm white HERE or black HERE but you can use any smooth textured paper which is not too thick (220 gsm or less) printer paper is fine to start with.
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Cloth or wet wipes – to keep clean
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Something to print with, leaves flowers etc.
You can buy the inks from Jacksons Here and and the Roller are HERE you will receive a 10% discount if you are a new customer
More about the Impressions of Nature project
The process of taking prints from plants has been used by botanists as far back as the 1700s. However for us it began as a collaborative project in 2002 casting and printing objects found on our smallholding. It was a wonderful way of documenting and celebrating our time in that particular environment. We were fascinated by this intricate details of plants and leaves which tend to go unnoticed.
Using an extensive range of printmaking and casting processes we became obsessed with transforming natural objects into precious art objects. We researched poetry, folklore and symbolism which emphasised the greater meaning and intrinsic importance of natural history and relationship with humans. In 2022 I decided to commit to a year long nature journal making prints of the plants around my home and gathering research about them. They have become part of an ongoing publication which I hope to realise in 2024.
Nature Journaling has been a vital part of my life in recent years helping me to connect with the natural environment and celebrate the ever changing seasons, bringing it back to treasured moments examining a leaf structure or days wandering in a woodland. It has also focused my engagement with the natural world and encouraged me to look closer and learn more about the individual plants that I find.
When gathering plant material it is always vital to do so responsibly most of my flowers and foliage are collected from own garden and usually when their flowering period is coming to an end. If you would like to try this further information on responsible foraging can be found HERE Wildfood UK and HERE Woodland Trust
Newsletter Subscription
If you would like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive this months free ebook/zine. Its all free no catches.
A new pdf ebook and digital monoprint is sent out completely FREE of charge each month to the mailing list so if you would like to receive the next one please sign up. They are between 16 and 30 pages long and include links to poetry, folk tales, myths and fables not to mention lots of paintings and printmaking.