New Monoprinting Techniques Invented by Loo Foh Sang

 Silkcreen & Intaglio - Relief Monoprints

by Loo Foh Sang

In the olden days, it was uncommon for people to live up to 70 years old. I have worked on the art of printmaking for 48 years. For many years, I have dedicated myself to developing a new technique on multi-colour monoprinting. This is a new, creative concept of contemporary printmaking, adopting the technique of monoprinting that expresses and presents beautiful layout in multiple colours.

I call the technique of silkscreen monoprinting, "drawing on the screen". In this process, no brushes are used. Instead, dining utensils such as spoons and dining knives are used to apply colours. This new technique not only saves time, but also a lof of work and an artwork can be completed in one go. 

In this process, it is very important to use viscous pigments. Depending on the need, a transparent adhesive mixture that I have made myself is used to produce the mixing and modulation. Any materials used, will produce special effects, bringing pleasant surprises to the artist. As for the paper used, different types of paper will produce different effects. Hence, the choice is up to the artist. 

Even though the process of silkscreen monoprinting is simple. It is a requisite for the artist to have solid foundation in painting and colour theory. As the whole printing process needs to be completed within 30 minutes, the artist is required to think quickly and creatively and speedily handle the printing production. The silkscreen must be cleaned immediately after use, preventing the residue from drying up and blocking the net, causing problems in subsequent printing and additional work to rectify or repair the artworks. If too much repairing is done, this weakness will show obvious differences. 

Therefore, one must first ascertain the main subject when creating a new artwork, followed by the selection and sequence of colours to be placed on the silkscreen. It is important to first place the colour of the main subject as it will take up most of the area of the artwork. The background colours should be placed in the last stage - they should match the colour of the main subject to make it stand out. 

I use the above-mentioned technique when I create silkscreen monoprints. However, with the composition and colour application already in mind, my finished artworks are always clear in its expression of ideas, and they are completed in one go. In addition, because they are monoprints, no multiple plates are needed and, not constrained by limited printing space. I am able to print large and multi-coloured artworks. This is certainly my most satisfactory research yield in my 48 years of printmaking. 

The other technique that I have developed for monoprinting is to blend the materials used in the printing process with engraved paper boards used in the intaglio-relief monoprinting. The expressions of portraits, types of flowers or any objects forming part of the presentation in the artwork can be created on an engraved paper board. When this paper board is placed together with the materials, intaglio and relief effect will be created on a single plate. 

During the stage of creation, the use of materials can be diverse, depending on the artist's creative ideas and intended effects. For me, I usually use natural materials such as, feathers, leaves and petals. I also use nets and aluminum foil to enhance the visual effects. If the natural materials used are not totally dry, then they should be placed inside books so that they could be squeezed flat and dry - ready for use after 10 days. As this technique only requires placing the materials and intaglio paper board onto a monoprint plate, it allows the artist to create printing layouts according to their ideas, achieving the best visual effect. 

 

This article was published in “The Untiring Engraver” Original Prints by Loo Foh Sang Exhibition Book in Year 2014, organised by Soka Gakkai Malaysia.