Monotype printmaking - Essay Example

Monotype Printmaking Monotype Printing The etching press and the lithography press use the planographic method to produce their prints. However, the lithography press relies on the premise that water and grease do not mix, which makes the process of printing take a chemical approach unlike printing in the etching press that relies on ink in the printing press (Kalmbach, 1997; Banister, 1969). On the other hand, the lithography press uses one blanket, which is useful in the process of offsetting ink from the plate to the rubber blanket and then finally to the paper that produces the print (Kalmbach, 1997).

However, the blankets required in the etching press are different from those used on the lithography press. In line with this, the etching press requires the use of three blankets with each blanket varying in thickness, type, and their functionality being different (Banister, 1969) Monoprints and monotypes are similar in many aspects. However, there are underlying differences between these two that result to variations that set them aside from each other. In this case, a monoprint has a reusable matrix, which is used to produce a different result from the first one obtained.

Conversely, monotypes involve permanent marks on the matrix with the possibility of obtaining at most two impressions (Monoprints.com, 2012). In effect, the fundamental difference between these two prints regards the plates used by the artist since an artist working on a monotype uses a clean plate that is unetched while an artist working on a monoprint uses etched plates such as fabric or lace. Consequently, the plates used determine the number of patterns an artist produce with a monotype producing one pattern while there is a repetition of patterns for a monoprint.

Scale and proportion, in visual arts, are used to show the relative size of one figure in relationship to another figure. According to Lauer and Pentak (2007), scale is another word for the size of a figure and it is in reference to the size of an object when compared to other objects. In line with this, it is important to point out that scale is crucial in providing the focal point of the object. On the other hand, proportion is the relative size of an image. In this case, proportion is the size measured against another image or against an image that exists in mental form or standard (Lauer & Pentak, 2007).

In art, artistic objects are representations, abstracts, or non-objective form of objects. In this case, objects in art are in representational form in instances whereby an artist produces a piece of work that represents an actual object, which means that the work is a subject from reality (Reid, 2002). On the other hand, abstraction involves using subjects that are real with the depiction of these subjects being represented in a different approach than the one that is known to be real (Reid, 2002).

Conversely, non-objective art does not take anything from reality, which implies that artists create this form of art for aesthetic purposes (Reid, 2002). In effect, this underlines the differences between these three forms of art since artists creating non-objective art do not refer to reality in their work.ReferencesBanister, M. (1969). Practical Guide to Etching and Other Intaglio Printmaking Techniques. Mineola, NY: Courier Dover Publications.Kalmbach, J. R. (1997). The Computer and the Page: Publishing, Technology, and the Classroom.

Norwood, NJ: Greenwood Publishing Group.Lauer, A. A., & Pentak, S. (2007). Design Basics 7th ed. Boston, MA: Thomson Higher Education.Monolithics.com. (2012). What is a Monoprint? Retrieved from http://www.monoprints.com/monoprints.php Reid, L. A. (2002). Meaning in the Arts Vol. 3. Oxford, UK: Routledge.