Crafternoon: Mono Printing With Kids

   Materials Needed:

Block Printing Ink- we used Speedball
Brayer- roller
pallet to roll ink out onto
Barren or rolling pin or wine bottle
a small piece of plexi glass or a soft cutting mat
good quality paper- we like Stonehenge
leaves- semi dried out

Step 1- start by rolling out your ink- we chose red and gold- mixed together they look very fallish- use any colour you want though there are no rules when it comes to colour choice!

Step 2- roll the ink onto your plexi glass or cutting mat- use whatever you have on hand- as long as it can be washed off and is smooth. Roll the ink on with your brayer nice and evenly- make sure there is a generous amount but not too goopy. Arrange leaves on top of the inked up surface.

Step 3- place a piece of newsprint or scrap paper over the entire project and burnish (rub) down with the barren or rolling pin or wine bottle- you are transferring the details of the leaves into the ink.

Step 4- remove newsprint- which can be a beautiful print to play with on it's own- carefully remove leaves. In the image below you can see the ink left on the plate (cutting mat)- this is what you will be printing onto the good paper.

Step 5- once the plate is clear of leaves you are ready to pull your mono print- place your good paper down over the plate and burnish firmly-transferring all the details that were left behind in the ink by the leaves. Remove your good paper and there is your print!

     Mono printing means to pull one image- it is a one of a kind print- which makes this project quick and fun. If you have the space you can soak and blot the paper for a few seconds prior to printing- this only works on cotton based papers like Stonehenge- this allows the paper to absorb the ink even more- creating a cleaner print.

       With all of the amazing leaves falling at this time of year we could hardly not do a few leaf related art projects! These prints will look great framed on the wall- I am always swapping their art work out for fresh but I think these will have a more permanent place in our kitchen art collection!