Katrina Blannin British, b. 1963

A recent project has generated 20cm – 70cm square monotypes: handcrafted prints on acid free Fabriano Rosaspina Ivory - 285gsm printmaking paper. The prints, produced from the summer of 2016 in the printmaking room at the University of Worcester, are part of a Painting by Practice PhD project, and the specific method of production was developed by the artist.

For some of the monotypes the handmade ink is the artist’s own recipe adapted from the traditional Japanese nori (rice) paste and alcohol-based formula that has been used in Japan for hundreds of years, and uses high quality powder pigments. For the larger black and white prints an Intense black Charbonnel ink is adapted through the use of gin and extenders to produce a deep black which contrasts with the ivory colour of the paper. The ink is rolled out evenly over a custom-made cardboard plate onto which the paper cut-out design is carefully placed. The water-soaked printmaking paper is then laid over this and the whole thing is then run through the press. This fast-drying collograph technique lends itself to the idea of a monotype. It is virtually impossible to recreate an image exactly due to the evidence of mis-registration and eye to hand control – each final print is therefore unique.