Monotype is the joy of creativity

2025 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-24 17:46

Monotype is one of the most popular areas of art therapy. According to those who deal with it, monotype is both a full-fledged art form and a method of psychotherapy. Anyone can practice this art, regardless of age. After all, one of the main human needs is the desire for self-expression through creativity.

Monotype Art

The author of the method is Elizaveta Kruglikova, an artist who created etchings at the beginning of the 20th century. Once she accidentally spilled paint on a printed board and, having applied a sheet of paper to the resulting stain, she suddenly noticed an interesting image that appeared on it. Subsequently, the artist began to use the resulting effect in her works.

Translated from Greek, monotype is the technique of a single print. To get it, you can use any paint and surface, and it does not require special drawing skills.

Monotype for children: the beginning

The child largely copies the behavior of the adults around him, therefore, in order to interest him in drawing, parents can play artists andtry out different art forms with your kids.

In the first lesson, you can try to make a drawing on plain paper. Let the child draw with gouache what he can. Then, before the paint has dried, you need to quickly cover the picture with another sheet and smooth it with your palm. Then peel off the top sheet from the base, it will turn out a funny picture. Babies love this process.

A monotype is carried out in a kindergarten using a more complex technology. To do this, prepare a plastic board or plexiglass. In addition to gouache, you can use oil paint. Anything you want is drawn on the prepared plane, using a brush or roller, and then the final paper print is made. Then you can finish the resulting picture with a brush.

Monotype technique for preschoolers

Monotype in kindergarten is increasingly included in the compulsory art program. If in the younger groups, own fingers and palms are more often used to obtain pictures, then starting from the middle group, the repertoire of visual means becomes more and more diverse.

With children over 5 years old, you can use subject monotype to depict symmetry. For this, thick paper such as whatman paper is suitable. You need to fold the sheet in half and draw, for example, a butterfly with one wing on the bottom. Then press the resulting pattern with the upper half of the sheet. It will make a symmetrical print, and the butterfly will have a second wing. In the same technique, you can draw the reflection of landscapes in the water.

The simplest version of monotype is inkblotography, children like it the most. To get a picture, gouache of different colors is picked up with a spoon and poured onto thick paper. After that, an imprint is made in the manner already described. Looking at the image, complement it to get a complete image.

Window Patterns

How do you know what monotype is used for? A master class on a chosen topic allows you to get comprehensive information and the necessary skills to use this technique.

For example, a teacher at his master class offers to make a holiday card "Frosty Patterns" using the monotype technique. To do this, you will need paper sheets - future windows, gouache and blue-and-white gel paints, a plastic bag, threads, a straw and a recording of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons.

In the beginning, everyone is given the task of looking at frosty patterns wherever possible. At the lesson itself, accompanied by music, poems are read on a given topic. The facilitator then explains that monotype is a magical technique that allows participants to decorate their windows with a frosty pattern.

Colorful spots are applied to the bag, and the paper is pressed against it. While the resulting print dries, you need to lay out patterns on it with colored threads and use a straw to apply droplets of silver gel to your pattern.

Monotype is a simple and attractive technique for developing children's creativity. It allowsthey are free to express their emotions and fantasies, as it does not require long training. Children learn to freely choose colors and themes for drawings, and eventually get rid of the fear of choosing on their own.