Mono-Print Book Make-and-Take

Hello and Happy Wednesday, friends!!

Are you excited to see what we’re making this week??

Let’s explore mono-printing with leaves to create a mini booklet!!

Check out the video here:

Mono-printing is fun and easy!

Grab any leaf with a texture you enjoy- find some weird ones too! This is such a great medium for experimenting!

Let’s start creating!!

First, choose which Acrylic paints you’d like to print with. Remember to choose colors that will blend well together!

Choosing opposing colors- such as red and green, or yellow and purple- might blend to create ‘mud’. This weird brown we like to call ‘mud’ isn’t what we usually want in art- simply because it doesn’t look natural!

For my first mono-print I’ve chosen a 5 stripe palate with black, teal, and gold!

Lay your leaves vein-side down! We want those veins to pick up paint so can capture the image later!

Place a blank paper on top of your paint and leaves- we’ll use the brayer tp apply even pressure across the piece.

When you release the paper you’ll reveal the a piece where the leaves acted as a mask- blocking paint from coming through!

Now align the leaves over the blank spaces- it doesn’t need to be perfect! Mono-printing always comes out unique.

Use the brayer again to apply even pressure to impress the leaves on to the blank spots- the veins will transfer to the paper!

Here’s another mono-print! Look at the center picture- the reverse image of the leaf impressions!

You could absolutely use the brayer to pick up the remaining image in the paint!

Mono-printing is great for playing with your materials!

Now let’s make a label for the booklet!

StazOn Pigment ink is a solvent based ink- which means it bonds to plastic!!

Let’s stamp “Happiness Enclosed” on to acetate! You can also lightly press the veins of a tiny leaf and use that as an embellishment on the label too!