Print Without Limits: Monoprinting in the Secondary Art Room

Layered Linocut: Colour, Process and Possibility in the Print Room

Monoprinting tends to settle into the classroom quite quickly.

There’s usually less hesitation. Students get started sooner and the room has a bit more movement to it. It’s not because the process is easier, but because it changes the starting point. Instead of working towards a fixed outcome, students are given something to respond to straight away.

That shift makes a difference.

Monoprinting, or monotype, is a simple printmaking process that produces a single, unique image. Ink or paint is applied to a smooth surface, worked into and then transferred onto paper. There’s no fixed plate and no exact repeat, which means each print becomes part of an ongoing process rather than a final piece.

In practice, it encourages students to notice what’s happening, make decisions and move forward from there. For many, that’s enough to get them past the blank page and into the work.

Why it Works so Well for Secondary Students

At KS3, monoprinting offers a straightforward introduction to printmaking, allowing students to explore tone, mark-making and surface without specialist tools or complex setup.

At KS4 and KS5, it becomes a method for generating and refining ideas. Students can produce multiple variations quickly, test compositional changes and build a clear record of development, supporting AO2 and AO3.

Because each print is unique, students are required to evaluate outcomes and make decisions rather than repeat a process. Working subtractively into ink also helps shift them away from outline-led drawing towards more confident use of tone and gesture.

Artist References to Shape Direction

One of the strengths of monoprinting is how easily it can be taught through different artistic voices. Rather than presenting it as a single technique with a fixed outcome, it opens up multiple ways of working.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Creation of Adam, c.1642, monotype on paper. Source: Fine Art America

Castiglione offers a sense of origin. His work is rich in tone and contrast, making it a strong starting point for exploring light, shadow and dramatic composition.

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas, Three Ballet Dancers (Trois danseuses), c.1878, monotype on paper. Source: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Edgar Degas, Ironing Women, c.1877–79, monotype on paper. Source: Arts & Food

Edgar Degas, The Ballet Master, c.1874, monotype heightened with white chalk on paper. Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Degas brings movement into focus. His monotypes feel fluid and atmospheric, often layered with pastel. They’re ideal for encouraging students to think beyond outline and towards energy and motion.

Maurice Prendergast

Maurice Prendergast, Central Park, c.1901, monotype on wove paper. Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC#

Maurice Prendergast, Bastille Day, 1892, colour monotype on paper. Collection: Cleveland Museum of Art

Prendergast introduces colour and rhythm. His work opens up conversations around pattern, shape and composition, particularly useful for students ready to move beyond monochrome.

Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin, Unique Portraits Monoprint, 1989, ink on paper. Clifton Gallery

Tracey Emin, Margate – The Golden Mile, 1996, monoprint on paper.

Tracey Emin brings a contemporary, expressive voice. Her monoprints are immediate and personal, encouraging students to explore line, emotion and narrative in a more instinctive way.

Seen together, these references give students permission to choose a direction. Some will be drawn to tone and contrast, others to movement, colour or expression. That sense of choice helps shift the work from exercise to exploration.

Classroom Project: Figures in Motion, Layed Monoprints

This project works comfortably across KS3 and KS4 and can be extended at KS5. It supports the development of ideas, experimentation with materials, observational recording and personal response.

Step 1: Introducing the Process

Start by sharing a small selection of artist examples. Keep the focus on what students can use, rather than what they should memorise.

Ask simple, practical questions:

- Where does the image feel controlled or loose?

- What creates a sense of movement?

- How has the artist used tone or colour?

This helps students begin to see monoprinting as a set of possibilities rather than a fixed method.

Step 2: Recording from Observation

Before printing, students produce a series of quick drawings based on movement. Short, timed sketches work well here. Thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes.

The aim isn’t accuracy. It’s energy. These drawings become a starting point, something to translate and reinterpret through print.

Step 3: The First Print

Students roll a thin layer of ink onto a smooth surface and draw into it by removing or shifting the ink. When the paper is pressed on top and lifted, the first print appears.

Encourage students to treat this as a beginning rather than an end. What’s interesting here? What would they change next time? What’s been lost or gained in the process?

Step 4: The Ghost Print

Without adding more ink, students print again.

This second print is often softer, more atmospheric, and sometimes unexpectedly stronger. It’s a useful moment to pause and reflect, helping students recognise that development often comes from process rather than planning alone.

Step 5: Developing Through Variation

Now the work starts to build.

Students repeat the process, making small changes each time. They might adjust composition, introduce colour, layer prints, or work back into the surface with drawing materials.

At this stage, the focus shifts from producing prints to developing ideas.

Step 6: Responding to an Artist

Students select one artist reference and use it to guide their next steps.

They might explore movement and layering inspired by Degas, tonal contrast influenced by Castiglione, colour and pattern from Prendergast, or expressive line in response to Emin.

This helps move the work from experimentation into something more intentional and personal.

Step 7: Creating a Resolved Outcome

The final outcome doesn’t need to be a single polished piece. Often, the most meaningful results come from a series of developments.

This might take the form of:

- a layered mixed media composition

- a sequence of prints showing variation

- a sketchbook spread that captures the journey

- a larger piece combining print and drawing

What matters is that the work shows progression, not perfection.

What to Look for in Student Work

Strong monoprinting work tends to show confidence, curiosity and a willingness to explore. Students begin to take risks, make decisions and build on what they’ve done rather than starting again.

You’ll often see:

- Variation rather than repetition

- Evidence of influence from artists

- Thoughtful choices about what to develop

- Increasing confidence in mark-making

And perhaps most importantly, a sense that the student is discovering something, not just completing a task.

A Process Worth Returning to

Monoprinting is efficient to run and easy to revisit across key stages. It requires minimal setup, works with standard classroom materials and produces results quickly enough to sustain pace within a lesson.

More importantly, it supports structured development. Students can generate, compare and refine outcomes in real time, building a clear sequence of decisions rather than isolated pieces.