Mono Printing

Cy Twombly

An American painter, draughtsman and sculptor with a fascination for the expressive possibilities of mark-making. Early work included experiments in Abstract Expressionism (like Jackson Pollock) then Twombly began to use repetitive marks that suggest calligraphy and graffiti on canvas and paper for which he is best known.

Look at some of Twombly’s paintings and ask the children to draw similar marks in the air with their arms. Then repeat the movements as a mono print. Get them to draw words in the air then on their mono print on a large scale. Consider working on a giant scale by covering the table in plastic to make the mono printing surface.

Stanley Hayter

An English printmaker who influenced many American artists. Hayter focussed on the way in which his unconscious mind directed his work. He taught printmaking in America, ran a studio in France and counted Marc Chagall, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso among his contemporaries.

Look at a range of Stanley Hayter prints then see if the children can find ways to make similar marks in their own mono prints.

Mark Tobey

A painter who experimented with calligraphy that became increasingly abstract and produced a web or network of marks in white against a grey or coloured background. This ‘white writing’ soon took over from anything realistic in his work. Tobey’s paintings are small compared to most modern artists and his work is mainly in cool colours which contrasts to other work of the time.

Experiment with making white mono prints on black or dark coloured paper to give a feel of Mark Tobey’s work.