Category Archives: Kathleen Thoma Art Exhibitions

Print is ready to pull off the plate

Demontration/monotypes with hand-cut stencils

This is a series of photos demonstrating

the process of creating a monotype using hand-cut stencils.

Kathleen Thoma creating a monotype in her studio

First I start with my palette of colors. Choosing color depends on my mood or the idea I have in my head. Then I cut out my stencils using flexible, soft sheets of plastic, like cut-up plastic file folders.

Hand cut stencils

I use a piece of plexiglass or glass for my plate.  I apply thin layers of ink or paint onto the plate, playing with layers of stencils until I have what seems to be a good starting layer to put through the press. This decision is often a guess based on experience. What is fun about monotype printing is that you never have complete control over the final outcome. This can also be frustrating of course. Sometimes you don’t like the print, so you have to wipe it off and start over. (more…)