A random art supply purchase
Early in 2022 on a whim I bought an ink roller, or brayer, as they are called. I had no idea of what to do with it, I just liked the look of it.
It sat on my kitchen table for a few weeks, until I dimly remembered a printmaking process. Something about printing by rolling ink on to plastic. I looked it up. The process is called monoprinting.
I had been going to life drawing sessions for years and had created a huuuge amount of sketches. What if I was to use this monoprint process at a life drawing session and produce finished artworks rather than just more sketches? It was quick! It was freestyle! It demanded confident mark making and a preparedness to experiment. Perfect.
Trying the monoprint process
I researched and did some trials. I made a print of a friend, drawn directly from life.
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| Monoprint of my friend block ink on drawing paper |
Monoprints at a life drawing session
Next I made some monoprints at an actual life drawing session, working seated on the ground, drawing and applying ink directly from observation. It was challenging to make the prints during timed poses, but the results were encouraging.
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| Monoprint of art model Angela, 20 minute pose block ink on bleed-proof paper |
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| Monoprint of art model Angela, 10 minute pose block ink on bleed-proof paper |
Adding cats
There was one more thing I needed to add to the mix. For some time I had been thinking of making a series of nudes and cats. What would be the outcome if I was to use the monoprint process at a life drawing session and spontaneously add cats to the compositions?
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| Jemima and cat I Monoprint, block ink on A4 Hosho paper |
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| Jemima and cat II Monoprint, block ink on A4 Hosho paper |
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| Jemima and cat III Monoprint, block ink on A4 Hosho paper |
An interesting result. Making the monoprints directly from observation makes for spontaneous lively marks. Adding a cat creates a sweet little story. The human form represents vulnerability, the cat represents connection or reciprocity.
It was a simple concept with a technically challenging process, and worth pursuing further. So the project of Nudes and Cats began.