Patent Publication Number: US-6663143-B2

Title: Acrylic paint monotype artwork

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/251,467, filed Dec. 4, 2000, entitled Acrylic Paint Monotype Artwork. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to methods for making a monotype artwork, and more particularly to the use of acrylic paint and pigments in the making of a monotype artwork. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     By definition, a fine art monotype is an image rendered by hand on a support surface (referred to as a plate) and then, traditionally, transferred to paper under pressure of the etching press. It is incapable of being editioned because no permanent pattern is established on the plate surface. A monoprint method includes a monoprint plate which contains important elements of etched, engraved or cut lines and textures that, along with hand application of painted imagery allow for subsequent printings to exhibit identical marks while retaining a one-of-a-kind identity. 
     Most monotype artists are familiar with the traditional materials and methods used in their making. Suffice to say that oilbase pigments remain wet long enough to allow ample time before printing is necessary and that waterbase pigments are preferably printed after they dry being easily reactivated by dampened paper under pressure. In both cases the material birth of the traditional monotype depends on the pressure of the etching press, a Japanese baren, squeegee, spoon or some such device in order to wed pigments with paper. In the printing process the exposed top layer of the image is forever buried within the paper fibers while, simultaneously, the heretofore unseen bottom layer adhering to the plate is released disclosing the face of the plate mirrored within the content of the image. 
     In the use of acrylic pigments, media and gels in a monotype process, time becomes a significant issue due to a characteristic rapid rate of drying and polymerization. The usual approach to the making of acrylic monotypes, especially when formal demands require some degree of complexity, is to print segments of the composition, one at a time, before they dry. And while this strategy of joining and layering of parts does not preclude rich and unique pictorial solutions it does explain why the medium is not more favored by monotypists. Additionally, while oilbase and waterbase pigments allow for the printing of ghost images, acrylics, due to their rapid rate of drying, do not easily give up their ghosts. However, given the limitations, the very troubling drying characteristic constraining acrylic&#39;s easy use is transformed in this invention to an advantage simply by eliminating pressure as the transfer device and accepting acrylic&#39;s basic physical nature as a casting medium. 
     Most artists working with acrylics have, at one time or another, observed the ease with which the dried pigments peel from slick, non-absorbent surfaces such as glass or china plates used as palettes. What has not been associated with this phenomenon (acrylic&#39;s inherent peelability&#39; and flexibility) is, in essence, a valuable clue pointing to a radical direction in the making of monotypes. That is, when acrylic is painted on a glass plate and then allowed to thoroughly dry it may be easily lifted off revealing its underside contact imagery. In other words, an acrylic monotype is made by working with the intrinsic physicality of the medium. This approach opens up a number of new possibilities in the way drawn, painted and collaged monotypes and assemblages can be made. In essence, what is proposed here is to make use of the way acrylic is transformed in its drying process becoming as it does a continuous polymerized, flexible and malleable film. Removal of such a paint film from a plate surface is for all practical purposes, no different than the lifting of a cast from a mold. And, in addition to acrylic&#39;s natural casting attributes, it also acts as a bonding agent allowing for the inclusion of other materials and the use of other media. 
     In the proposed method acrylic paints, that may be modified by retardants, flow release liquid, acrylic media and gels, may be used separately or in combination with most other media such as oilbase and waterbase paints and inks, crayons, oil paint, sticks and markers in the creating of monotypes and monoprints. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention involves the painting and/or drawing directly on a surface of a matrix or plate, such as glass, china, polyethelene or zinc plates, with acrylics and then allowing the paint to dry completely before removing the image intact, as opposed to the traditional prior art method of printing the quick drying pigments in sections in layered sequence while the pigments are still wet. In the basic process an acrylic image is created on the matrix and allowed to dry. A layer of a backing material adhesive, such as an acrylic gel, is next applied and a backing material (such as paper or cloth) is placed upon the gel, and the wet gel is then allowed to dry. The dry artwork is then removed from the matrix. In various augmented embodiments, layers of applied acrylic pigments can be used as stopouts as well as compositional elements in that an applied layer not covering the whole the entire matrix surface when dry allows those vacant matrix areas to be painted with different color layers without disturbing the first layer. Also, any layer of acrylic pigment when dry can be worked with tools (stylus, fingernail, etc.) to remove dried pigment so that other layers of different color pigment may be applied in the exposed matrix areas. 
     Further, sections of any image can be removed by hand so that they may be used as collage elements with the same image, a different image or to be stored for later use. These sections may be selectively pressed into place against the plate surface so that they appear as continuous visual elements in the context of the whole image. The invention allows the inclusion within a single image of other media (wet or dry), such as watercolor, waterbase crayons and pencils, felt pens, waterbase inks, water mixable oil paints, oil pastels and oil paint sticks because of the bonding abilities of acrylics. Additionally, all types of acrylic can be applied including Rhoplex, latex and latex enamel house paints and sprays. This invention includes the removal by hand of the resulting polymerized acrylic film from the matrix surface with or, if thick enough, without reinforcement of either paper or cloth backing material. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention that acrylic paints are utilized in the monotype artwork process. 
     It is another advantage of the present invention that a monotype artwork is produced that does not require the utilization of a press. 
     It is a further advantage of the present invention that a variety of media and elements can be incorporated within the acrylic paint monotype. 
     It is yet another advantage of the present invention that collage and intaglio prints can be made using the acrylic paint process. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description which makes reference to the several figures of the drawings. 
    
    
     IN THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a process step of the present invention in which an artwork is created upon a matrix; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view depicting a further process step of the present invention in which an adhesive and a backing material have been applied to the artwork depicted in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view depicting an artwork of the present invention as removed from the matrix; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view that is similar to FIG. 4, depicting an artwork having watercolor or other elements therewithin; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, depicting an artwork of the present invention that is formed on a matrix having an uneven surface; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, depicting an acrylic intaglio artwork of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view depicting an artwork of the present invention formed on a three dimensional matrix surface. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 depicts a first step in the creation of an artwork  10  of the present invention utilizing acrylic paint  14  upon a surface of a matrix or plate  18  such as a thick piece of glass, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . The artwork  10  of FIG. 1 is a facial portrait FIG. 15, and is primarily created with the first acrylic paint layer  14 . Other materials  16  such as paper, fabric, watercolor, ink, oils, pastels, etc. may be applied next to or upon an acrylic paint area  14 . For instance, the eyes  17 , or perhaps the hair  19  or other features, of the FIG. 15 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 might be comprised of a fabric, oil paint or other elements  16 , while the remainder of the FIG. 15 is comprised of the acrylic paint layer  14 . Acrylic paint is selected for three reasons: 
     a. Acrylic paint dries quite rapidly. 
     b. When it dries it forms a plastic paint mass that strongly adheres to itself. 
     c. Acrylic paint does not strongly adhere to glass, polyethelene or zinc. 
     After the first acrylic (and other materials  16 ) layer  14  has dried, a second layer  22  may optionally be applied to the upper surface of the first layer  14 , this time typically of acrylic only and allowed to dry. Thus, the acrylic layers  14  and  22  serve not only as a pigment but as a bonding agent as well, where the layer  22  bonds to the acrylic layer  14  and to the other materials  16 . A variety of plate materials are acceptable such as zinc, glass and polyethelene sheets and china plates - the transparent plates being more practical since the artist can see the work in progress and in its actual orientation from the reverse side. Three dimensional surfaces can also be used as a matrix. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, where FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  4 — 4  of FIG. 3, after drying, the upper surfaces of the acrylic layers  14  and/or  22  are coated with acrylic gel  26  which serves as a backing material adhesion layer  26  for either a cloth or paper reinforcing backing material  30 . The backing material  30  is pressed into place on the wet gel  26  by hand, brush and/or squeegee and allowed to dry. It is important that a good adhesive bond between the paper/canvas  30  and the upper surface of the artwork is formed utilizing the adhesive gel  26 . After drying, the whole artwork  40  (paint layers, gel and backing) is easily peeled by hand from the plate surface  18 , and FIGS. 5 and 6 are a depiction of the acrylic artwork now peeled from the plate and disposed upon the paper/canvas, where FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  6 — 6  of FIG.  5 . Interestingly, the image in FIG. 5 is reversed from that depicted in FIG. 1, and the front surface  36  of the artwork  40  is the paint surface that was formed in contact with the glass matrix surface  18 . In the finished artwork depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second layer  22  may be considered as applied to a rear surface of the first layer  14 , and the backing material adhesion layer  26  may be considered as applied to the rear surface of the second layer  22 . 
     Thus the present invention takes advantage of the dry acrylic image of FIGS. 1 and 2 by applying an adhesive gel  26  and backing material  30  (paper/canvas) to its upper surface such that the acrylic image then adheres to the paper/canvas when the adhesive gel is dry. A further significant feature of the acrylic paint is that it holds together when dry such that the entire artwork  40  that was created on the glass  18  is removed in a single piece by the application of the adhesive gel and backing material to the upper surface of the acrylic image. Additionally, all types of acrylic can be applied including Rhoplex, latex and latex enamel house paints and sprays. Another significant feature of the present invention is that the acrylic paint image does not adhere strongly to the glass surface, such that it pulls away from the glass  18  and is adhered to the paper/canvas backing material  30 . By comparison, the present invention was attempted by applying acrylic paint on an acrylic plastic sheet in place of the glass sheet. The acrylic paint adhered to the acrylic plastic sheet and could not be successfully removed from it following the adhesion of the paper/canvas to the surface of the image. 
     As a matter of comparison between prior art printing processes and the casting type process of the present invention, it is instructive to note some principal differences. While printing pressure buries the top layer of pigment in the paper fibers and allows release of the bottom layer from the plate, the casting process allows the top pigment surface either to be exposed along with its bottom surface or to be covered with a reinforcing material such as paper or cloth. In the former casting process instance one may opt to eliminate any reinforcement material thus allowing the work to be presented so that both sides of the paint film may be viewed as complete images in themselves; one a monotype, the other a painting. Casting in contrast to printing involves a protracted drying time imposing delays not experienced by artists at the press. While acrylic dries to the touch in a few hours there is less reliability in determining internal drying time. Usually a period of sixteen to twenty-four hours or more, depending on thickness of application and the effects of humidity and temperature on the polymerization process, is required before the print  40  may be safely lifted from the plate, Exposure to heat sources (sun, heat lamp, etc.) will speed drying time; minutes with thinly applied acrylics and one to two hours with moderately thick applications. Thick applications of acrylic gel  26  (especially heavy gels) should be allowed to dry for at least twenty-four hours even when exposed to a heat source. 
     One may further decide to use the paint film as a source for collage. By cutting into fragments  16  and placing together pieces of the film (either top or bottom surfaces or both) a collage may be composed; and, because these fragmented elements are both flexible and slightly tacky they are actually available to being added to other monotypes in progress simply by pressing them in place on the plate  18 . A coat of acrylic paint  22 , media or gel  26  will then hold the fragment in place permanently. As is described in greater detail below, this process opens the way for several options. One may prepare in advance a number of plates with images whose sole function is to become available for use in the making of collage. And, of course it follows that fragments may be cut and lifted from any acrylic monotype in progress and either repositioned on the same plate, used on another monotype in progress or placed aside for possible future use. Thus, an entirely new and unique form of collage monotype is made possible. 
     With regard to the matrix or plate  18 , transparent glass plates have two main advantages: 
     (1) Transparency allows direct visual examination of the image from its reverse side so that one can judge its progress as well as its final look before it is lifted. It should be noted that no pigment residue will remain on the plate when the print is lifted so that the true appearance and orientation of the image is visible when it is viewed from the plate&#39;s reverse side. 
     (2) Corrections may be made after the acrylic dries by slicing and removing sections of the pigments with break-away knives or single edge razor blades after which the resulting blank areas may be re-painted. Cutting against glass causes insignificant damage to its surface as compared to that which would be caused against either zinc or polyethelene plate surfaces. Plate glass (¼″ thick) is the safest to use as it is less likely to crack or break during its handling. And, in order to avoid injury, its edges should be beveled and its corners rounded slightly. 
     Two basic steps are required for plate preparation: 
     (1) Clean both sides of the plate glass. The reverse side should be cleaned so that there is no visual distraction. 
     (2) Place the plate on a clean sheet of newsprint before beginning work. 
     At any point in the monotype process one may decide to select a suitable backing material  30  to be attached later to gel painted or squeegeed onto the image after it is completed. Its purpose being to strengthen the acrylic body and facilitate its removal from the plate. Sized papers should be selected because non-sized or waterleaf papers tend to tear apart during the removal process. Any canvas or cloth material may be selected as backing. However, if creases are evident they may present a visual problem in the exposed border areas. For this reason creased fabrics should be soaked in cold water for several hours or more depending on their weight so that they may be stretched afterwards. This is accomplished simply by hanging the fabric until it is slightly damp and then tacking it to a board or wall surface. Shrinkage will tighten and eliminate creasing during drying. Ironing is also an option. 
     Registration and backing attachment are important for purposes of presentation of the completed monotype  40 . It is generally desirable and advantageous for the paper or cloth backing to extend several inches or more beyond the edges of the plate. A simple registration device is as follows with details of backing attachment: 
     (1) After the plate is placed in the center of a newsprint sheet an outline is drawn around the plate and then another line is drawn indicating the desired location of the backing edges. 
     (2) The paper or cloth selected is now cut or torn to the dimensions of the backing location lines and then put aside for later placement on the work. 
     (3) After the image has been completed it must be allowed to dry, at least to touch before a final application of acrylic gel  26 . Soft gel may be applied for the attachment of light weight cloth backing  30  but regular or heavy gel should be applied for paper and heavy weight cloth. Paper is less flexible and therefore is more easily held in place by regular or heavy gel. And the tension existing in the structure of heavier cloth such as canvas creates a resistance to remaining in place unless a heavy gel is used. 
     (4) For placement of paper backing locate any paper edge to its corresponding backing location line on the registration device. Holding the paper edge in place then lower it onto the gel coated plate and gently press by hand in order that it makes overall contact. Allow it to dry. 
     (5) For placement of a cloth backing  30  a cardboard cylinder becomes a practical tool for rolling out loose fabrics. Simply roll the cloth onto the cylinder. Then locate the exposed cloth edge on the appropriate backing registration line and carefully unroll it across the plate. Use a squeegee to gently scrape across the backing in order to insure overall contact with the gel. Then carefully brush on either gel medium or a lighter weight polymer medium in order to fill in the cloth weave to secure a strong bond. Another easier option when borders are required is to select a plate large enough to contain both the image and its borders. The plate edges can then determine the overall outside dimensions of the artwork. 
     In regard to backing choices, one may choose between two other options. Cloth or paper may be cut to fit either the exact size of the image or a fraction larger, in which case no registration device is needed, or if the acrylic pigment film is thick enough backing may be eliminated entirely. A paint film {fraction (1/16)}″ thick or more can typically be effectively removed intact. An unreinforced paint film, by its nature, suggests unique presentation solutions in the ways that it may be manipulated and attached to a variety of flat and three dimension surfaces, including those with compound curvatures. Additionally, such a paint film may be mounted on either its outer surface or on its inner contact surface or elements of both if fragmented and collaged. What is suggested here blurs the edges between monotype and other media and introduces the notion of the casting of acrylic pigments, media and gels as a unique addition to the vocabulary of mixed media. 
     Procedures that are included in the present invention include the following examples. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     In one procedure a layer  14  of acrylic pigment is applied covering partially a matrix surface, allowed to dry and a different color is applied covering the exposed matrix areas. (The first layer acts as a stopout) The whole is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     In another procedure a dried acrylic pigment layer  14  is scraped or cut away (with a stylus, blade, fingernail, etc.) so that a different color may be applied covering the exposed matrix areas. The whole is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     In a further procedure as depicted in FIG. 7, a print is created by first treating the matrix  18  surface with a layer of clear fixative (alcohol base) spray  50  such as the clear acrylic spray. Watercolor pigments and/or all other waterbase colors  54  are applied to the dried spray  50  and are allowed to dry after which a second layer  56  of fixative spray is applied. This traps and bonds the water colors  54  also preventing them from smearing when, subsequently, acrylic pigments  14  and/or  22  are applied as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The whole is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     In yet another procedure oilbase pigments such as oil pastels, and oilsticks are used as drawing and painting media including the use of mineral spirits to thin and modify the pigments on the matrix surface and then allowed to dry. The resultant image is then painted over with acrylic pigments, such as  14  and  22  of FIG. 1, and then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 5 
     In yet a further procedure water mixable oil paints thinned with mineral spirits are applied to the matrix surface and then allowed to dry after which acrylic paint is applied and then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 6 
     In still another procedure, a section of an image that has been painted on a matrix surface and then allowed to dry as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which is approximately {fraction (1/32)}″ or thicker is easily released from the matrix surface by cutting along its borders with a sharp blade and then lifting one edge and then releasing it by hand. 
     EXAMPLE 7 
     In still a further procedure, a section of an image after having been lifted from the matrix surface may be placed on a separate blank matrix or other surface for storage for future use, such as for an element  16  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     EXAMPLE 8 
     In yet another procedure either surface of a removed section (see Example 7) may be repositioned on the same place on the matrix surface or on a different blank image area on the same matrix surface as an element  16  in order to create a collage effect. The result is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 9 
     In yet a further procedure, a section of an image after having been released from one matrix surface may be positioned onto another matrix surface in order to create a collage element on a different image. The result is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     EXAMPLE 10 
     In still another procedure an image may be created such as a variety of textures on one matrix surface, the sole purpose of which is to be available for repositioning sections on other matrix surfaces. The result is then treated as depicted in FIGS. 3-6 and described above. 
     This invention further allows the making of monoprints through the method of cutting, engraving and impressing lines and textures into plate surfaces using blades, wood and lineoleum cutting tools as well as the use of selected objects for the purpose of creating textures through the use of pressure. Low density polyethelene plates are most useful for these purposes. As depicted in FIG. 8, the surface of the plate  60  has been cut to create grooves  64 . The cut, engraved or impressed areas on the plate are then be filled with acrylic pigment  14  in the process of painting on its surface. After drying, gel  26  is applied and cloth or paper backing  30  is pressed into the gel and allowed to dry. When released from the plate surface the print will be sculptural, having raised ridges that correspond to the grooves  64 . The cut, engraved and impressed areas of the plate therefore release the now raised cut, engraved and impressed elements of the artwork, which are three-dimensional in relation to the lower painted surface of the print. The print (a monoprint) has a one-of-a-kind surface image merged with repeatable below the surface elements (intaglio). 
     EXAMPLE 11 
     In still another procedure, as depicted in FIG. 9, this invention allows the making of editionable intaglio prints through the method of filling the cut, engraved and impressed areas  64  of a plate  60  with acrylic pigment  68  and then while still wet, wiping the surface clean with water dampened rags and paper and allowing the submerged acrylic to dry. The plate surface may then be painted with acrylic pigments  14  and then allowed to dry after which acrylic gel  26  is applied and cloth or paper backing  30  is pressed onto the wet gel. Release of the intaglio print is easily done by hand, thus creating an intaglio print that is capable of being editioned. 
     EXAMPLE 12 
     Finally, in yet a further procedure, as depicted in FIG. 10, this invention allows the pulling of a monotype from a three-dimensional interior or exterior mold surface  70  such as a bowl or box shape of china, glass or polyethelene material. The same procedures are followed as in the making of two-dimensional prints depicted in FIGS. 1-6 and described in the various examples set forth above. This basically includes applying acrylic paint  14 , allowing it to dry, then applying a gel  26  and backing  30 , and subsequently removing the dry artwork from the three-dimensional surface. 
     It is the object of the invention to allow acrylic paints, media and gels to be used according to the intrinsic physical qualities of polymerization, flexibility and bonding ability rather than as poor substitute materials for traditional waterbased or oilbased pigments in the producing of fine art monotypes and monoprints as is the case at the present time. As a result of the invention, the drying time of acrylics is no longer a concern for the artist during the process of creating images on the matrix surface. The work, in fact, must dry completely before it may be removed from the matrix. 
     The invention introduces the concept of casting as opposed to printing in the making of fine art monotypes and monoprints. This approach eliminates the need for the etching press or other mechanical methods of pressure application. Since there are literally tens of thousands of artists who desire to make these single, unique prints but who have either limited access to presses or no access, this invention becomes an avenue toward encouraging the making of monotypes without the need for renting or purchasing a press. The use of acrylics in this new method of making monotypes and monoprints offers a very rich color quality which competes well with traditional media and, in some respects, is superior in its color saturation and in its effect of materiality or body when cast rather than printed. The invention thus encourages the wider and more creative use of acrylics. This cannot but have a positive impact on the marketing of artists acrylics and associated products as well as commercially available acrylic house painting latex, latex enamel and interior/exterior spray paints. 
     While the present invention has been shown and described with regard to certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that those skilled in the art will no doubt devise other and further processes that nevertheless include the true spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following claims cover all such alterations and modifications in the embodiments described herein that nevertheless include the true spirit and scope of the invention.