Do you want to explore a fun and intuitive way to create art? I'm Malin, an intuitive creating swedish artist, and I ́ll will show you how to make monotypes with Natural Acryliks and a gel plate – a technique where every painting is unique and full of surprises!
Materials you’ll need
● Natural Acryliks
● 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!
Step-by-Step: How to make the monotype
Prepare your surface
1. Place your gel plate on a smooth surface. Have your paints and tools ready.
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, for example, a tweezer.
Drying time
9. Take a sip of water (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 of how much paint you added to the second layer. For this one I did not wait too long, maybe five minutes.
13. Peel of the paper from plate. Sometimes it’s easier to turn the plate around and peel of 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.
Experiment with different types of paper to see how they absorb the paint in unique ways. With Natural Acryliks, you get non-toxic and eco-friendly paints to experiment with, making the process even more enjoyable and sustainable.
You are more than welcome to follow me on Instagram @malinjanlidenart to take a look at more of my monotypes. Maybe you get inspired by some patterns or layers. You also find my original paintings at konst.se/malinjanliden.
