Monotypes in the making: 'Mournes from Murlough'

I didn't plan to make Mournes from Murlough #2 but it cried out to be made as soon as #1 was off the press!

'The Mournes from Murlough #1 and #2', monotype, 25cm x 38cm, Hahnemuhle paper (2021)

Here's how. Using a roller, I covered an acetate sheet with ink in the way one normally does for a dark field monotype. I then wiped the image into it using a rag and cotton buds. Admittedly, that is easier said (in just 34 words) than done! Printing the plate on to dampened Hahnemuhle paper gave me the first image, 'The Mournes from Murlough #1'. You can see what the plate looked like after going through the press by looking at the background of the second image. A great deal of the ink had transferred to the paper but there was still enough left to offer the chance of a good ghost print. I could have printed straight off with what I had but I felt it would look rather washed out. Deciding it needed the drama of a few darker tones, I took the plate off the press and began to work on it again. This time, I darkened the ground in the foreground - probably with a roller. I then added the grasses by dipping bits of matt board in ink and quite simply dabbing or scraping them on the plate. The rest is history!