MONOTYPE printmaking ‘IS NOT A COPY OF A WORK, IT IS THE WORK ITSELF’ monotype is a one off after the plate has been inked up and dampened fine art paper is pulled through the etching press it’s over…it is a one off painting with ink and unique!
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. The plate is pressed against the paper to transfer the ink. (So the finished print is a mirror image of what’s on the plate.) The printing can be done with a printing press or sometimes by hand.