Pink Dogwood Monoprint

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Our pink dogwood is in full bloom a week earlier than last year.

I used a sheet of 8×10 inch plexiglass as a plate for this monoprint. I did six layers of colors over two days. I first printed the darks using a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. Next I did the the greens and yellows. The third printing used white and carmine to make pinks. Then I overprinted with light yellow. Next I printed the darks again to make them darker and to clean up the edges around the blossoms. I then added more variety of pinks mixing white, carmine, rose, and red violet. I did a few touch ups directly on the print with a brush, and finally I added a few small details – the centers of the blossoms and a few stems – with colored pencils.

I like this method of painting. There’s lots of room for happy accidents. The paint does unexpected things when it is transferred from the plate to the paper. It creates interesting textures. Also there are unanticipated overlaps and gaps in the colors because each color is applied separately and needs to be painted in reverse.

Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media 9×12 inch (23×30.5 cm) paper, Schmincke Horadam gouache, Golden Acrylic Retarder, Albrecht Dürer Faber-Castell and Caran D’Ache Supracolor II watercolor pencils, cotton swabs, and Arteza flat waterbrush. Image is 8×10 inches (20.3×25.4 cm).

Jim