Lithography vs Monotype
石版画／リトグラフ / モノタイプ
Lithography comes from Planographic Printing and Monotype from Print Expression. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Lithography
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Uses the repulsion of oil and water to reproduce crayon and tusche drawing from stone or plate, keeping all the softness of the hand.
Monotype
Ink or paint is added to or removed from a smooth plate, then transferred to paper. Brushwork, wiped highlights and interrupted edges combine in a largely unique impression. Residual ink can yield a paler ghost print; this differs from repeatedly printing a fixed matrix image.
| Lithography | Monotype | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1796– | 17th century–present |
| Family | Planographic Printing | Print Expression |
| Kind | Technique | Technique |
| Cues | Greasy crayon / Stone or metal plate / Painterly tone / Multicolor overprinting | Marks added or wiped on the plate / Broken contours and broad tones / Brushwork combined with transfer texture / Fainter residual ghost impressions |
| Best used for | Limited editions and art books that must keep the touch of crayon and charcoal · Large posters that need rich tone from a small number of colors | Exhibitions and teaching that compare Monotype with neighbouring print techniques · Publications studying lines, tones and paper through documented works |
| Type | Draw the lettering onto the stone by hand instead of setting type | Keep lettering in the work separate from added labels; place medium, artist and date outside the image. |
| Composition | Split areas and lines between plates, planning for colors to overprint | Test added marks and wiped highlights separately, checking reversal after transfer. |
| Material | Greasy crayon or tusche on stone, tone held by oil against water | Check the collection medium record and the paper and ink; do not infer materials from screen colour alone. |
| Caution | Pencil texture is not it, and neglecting density control crushes the tone into a merely blurred image. Learn how oil against water, the stone, damping, the roller and overprinted plates shape line and color. | Not every one-off print is a monotype. Distinguish a smooth painted plate from a fixed matrix varied as a monoprint. |