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Marvelous Monoprinting

Mary Shoebridge
Crafty Cruisers
Intermediate Stamping Team Designer

SUPPLIES:

•Mini Medallions, Grand Medallions, Medallions stamp sets (TAC)
•Brilliance Pigment Ink Pads (Tsukineko, Inc. ~ TAC)
    Mediterranean Blue
    Pearlescent Purple
    Victorian Violet
    Pearlescent Jade
•Color Box Pigment Ink Pads (Clearsnap, Inc.)
    Eggplant
    Evergreen
    Harbor
    Peony
•Reinkers
    Eggplant and Frost White Color Box Pigment (Clearsnap, Inc.)
    Brilliance Galaxy Gold (Tsukineko, Inc. ~ TAC)
•1 Sheet of purple cardstock (TAC pastel assortment)
•2 sheets of text weight paper, bright purple ot match ink colors or a contrasting color (Kelly Paper)
    Cut 4 booklet pages sized 3¾" x 8".  These will be folded in half to make an 8-page booklet
•Brayer, Foam and Acrylic (TAC)
•Acrylic Block 4" x 1½" (TAC)
•Sheet of Plexiglas 9" x 12" (Hardware Store)
•Hydra Sponges (TAC)
•Clear embossing powder (Stamp-n-Stuff, Make Enterprises - Michael's)
•Heat Gun (Milwaukee - TAC)
•X-Acto Knife (Elmer's Products, Inc.)
•Bone Folder (TAC)
•Large Eye Needle (Darner) for sewing booklet together and punching holes
•Other:  Pencil, ruler, old paint brush for mixing inks together, damp paper towels or baby wipes, and waxed paper, waxed coated freezer paper or an acrylic paper palette.
•Fibers (Michael's)
•Lilac Color Waxy Flax (Scrapworks, Inc.) Cord for sewing booklet together
 

INSTRUCTIONS

Monoprinting the cardstock

1.    Using the reinkers, ink the Plexiglas sheet.  I use the freezer paper for a palette.  Squirt out a little of the colors and blend them with an old paint brush.  Pick up some of the colors and dab them on to the Plexiglas with a small piece of sponge.  When there is quite a bit of color on the printing plate, smooth it out to make a nice thick coat of ink by using the rubber brayer.  It should cover the entire sheet.  Set the brayer aside. You can add a bit of the Galaxy Gold to add some sparkle and brayer again. You want to make sure the ink is juicy. Experiment a little with scraps of small paper and then do the project paper. 

2.    Have your stamps ready with the pads opened.  Ink up the medallion stamp images and start to stamp randomly on the glass. It is good to have a wet towel ready so you can wipe any ink off the stamps and reink with other colors as you are working.  Work quickly and stamp the images where they will show up on the booklet cover.  The images on the glass will be reversed on the paper. 

3.    When the stamping on the plate is completed, take your cardstock and lay on top of the plate.  Take the acrylic brayer and brayer the paper until you have gotten as much ink onto as you can.  At this point, pick up a corner of the paper and see if you have good impressions.  You can brayer it again. Take the paper off the plate. You can now stamp on top of the monoprint sheet to bring out the designs. 

4.    Emboss the sheet you just finished, using clear embossing powder. Sprinkle the powder on and heat with a heat tool. After you have done this, you can brayer it with ink left on the plate and stamp the other side of the paper which will be the inside of the booklet.  Lightly stamp on a design using the ink left on the stamps.  Take the sheet and heat set it.  Hold it by a corner and heat it until the ink is dry.  Don’t lay it down on the embossed side because this would damage the monoprinting and stamped images. 

Making the Booklet 

1.    Use the template. It should fit the sheet of cardstock.  Follow the measurements given on the template. You can enlarge it if necessary.  Then, cut out the booklet according to the template instructions.  Place the template on the monoprint paper and cut out with the X~acto knife and ruler.  Set aside.  

2.    Cut the text weight paper for the booklet pages.  The dimensions are8” x 3 3/4”.  Fold the pages in half crisply with the bone folder.  Nest the pages one inside the other. 

3.    Cut silts in the section of booklet to hold the flap as marked on the template.  Mark and cut the silts on the inside the booklet. 

4.    Sew the pages inside the booklet. Punch the holes with a needle where they are indicated on the template. Punch the holes in the cover first; then, place the unfolded booklet pages in the cover and punch holes in the pages. Take the needle and sew down through the bottom holes in the pages to the front and sew up through the holes in the top of the pages and tie the ends together in a knot.  The holes should line up and be in the folds. 

5.    Using the large eye needle make two holes at the top of the flap. They should be centered about a half-inch down on the flap. Take the large eye needle and thread a few strands of fiber through it. From the back pull the fibers through to the front and tie into a knot.  This adds a nice decorative touch. 

6.    Fold the booklet pages in, then fold the side flap over the pages and then close the top flap with the point down through the silts. This is your little monoprint booklet. 

TIPS:  You might want to make a sample booklet without stamping on it to have as reference.  You can cut out a sample booklet and the pages and practice sewing it together.

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