Do you want to explore a fun and intuitive way to create art? I'm Malin, a Swedish artist who discovered Natural Acrylik Paint this past year! I'll show you how to make monotypes with Natural Acryliks, botanicals from nature and a gel plate – a technique where every painting is unique and full of surprises! Step by Step Video Tutorial at bottom of post.
Materials you’ll need
● Natural Acrylik Paint
● Gel plate
● Brayer
● Paper for the monotype
● Ghost paper for the printing process (use a paper that has no ink or text on it, if you don’t want letters in your monotype).
● Materials you find beautiful (maybe leaves, flowers or grass). Let your imagination run wild, you can use pretty much anything!
Prepare your surface
1. Place your gel plate on a smooth surface.
2. Squeeze a small amount of Natural Acryliks directly onto the plate.
3. Use the brayer to spread the paint evenly.
Create texture and patterns
4. Place the materials you have gathered on the plate.
5. Place a piece of paper over the entire plate and run your hand over the paper. No force is necessary, but make sure the paper comes into contact with the entire surface of the plate.
6. Press your fingers down and massage the plant parts into the plate to bring out the details
properly.
Lift the print
7. Slowly peel the paper away.
8. Remove the botanicals from the plate. If there are any small plant parts left on the plate you can remove them with tweezers.
Drying time
9. Take a sip of tea (or maybe something else more tasty) and let the paint dry completely before you add next layer of paint.
Natural Acryliks dry pretty fast so you don’t have to wait too long. To extend the drying time of the paint you can add the Natural Acrylik Medium.
Add one more layer of paint
10. Add a thin layer of paint with the brayer over your botanical details to create a
background color to your monotype.
11. Lay your paper over the painted plate and press gently with your hands, ensuring full contact with the paint.
12. Let it dry for a while. How long the drying time is depends on how much paint you added to the second layer. For this one I did not wait long, maybe five minutes.
13. Peel of the paper from plate. Sometimes it’s easier to turn the plate around and peel off the plate from the paper. Try and see which way you prefer.
The monotype is ready!
Voilà! Your unique monotype is revealed!
Repeat and experiment.
Add new layers by repeating the process, building depth and details in your print.
TIPS for variation
- Thinner layers create more detailed prints, while thicker layers result in a more painterly effect.
- Try blending multiple colors for rich and dynamic variations.
PAPER: Experiment with different types of paper to see how they absorb the paint in unique ways. With Natural Acrylik Paint, you get to enjoy non-toxic and eco-friendly paints to experiment with, making the process even more enjoyable and sustainable.
FOLLOW ME on Instagram @malinjanlidenart to take a look at more of my nature-based monotypes. You can also find my original paintings at konst.se/malinjanliden.