Ginkgo biloba 02 - A4 - Original Botanical Monoprint

Plant - Ginkgo biloba // Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree.

Title - ''Ginkgo biloba 02''

Size and paper - A4 printed on premium watercolour paper.

Ink - Akua Printmaking ink - black. (Soy based)

This is an original print, 1/1. It is a multi layer print, having been reprinted a few times to create the depth within the print.

Process - Botanical Monoprint

This term is given to prints that are made one of a kind with plants. In order to create these prints I print directly with the plants themselves. My process starts by walking out in nature and collecting plants that I find along the way, in a variety of habitats from gardens, hedgerows and verges to woodlands and coastal areas. Once I have a collection of plants I have to press them before I can start printmaking, In order to create a detailed print with no smudges It works best if your foliage is pressed and dried. Pressing time on the plants vary depending on the species. For example, Daffodils have a long pressing time of 2-3 weeks due to their density and moisture content. Whereas, Forget-me-nots which are quite thin may only need 1 week in the press. After my foliage is pressed I get to work creating the prints, the first step is to coat the plant in ink, once the ink has been evenly spread on the plant I can then use it to create a print. I handprint all of my originals using a cold press laminator, which works similarly to an etching press however has rubber rollers instead of metal. The plant and the paper are sandwiched together through the press under a lot of pressure, allowing the plant to deboss into the paper. Once they've been rolled through the press I pull apart the plant from the paper and left in its place is the imprint of the inked plant.

If you'd like to know more about my process please visit my Instagram page for more botanical printmaking - www.instagram.com/alicia.studio