Artist-led Workshop: Reductive Monotype Workshop with Yanyun Chen

Lift. 

Depart. 

An empty space. 

How do we make sense of the gestures that wipe away, leaving behind an absence heavy with past presence? In this reductive monotype print workshop, we will be exploring meditative mark-making and mindful drawing through additive and reductive methods of printmaking, engaging with active and passive white spaces, and responding to floral arrangements and mythologies. 

Learning Takeaways: 

• Floral Arrangements: Draw inspiration from live floral arrangements to infuse with your prints with depth and values 
• Mark-Making: Explore the therapeutic power of mark-making as a form of self-expression  
• Additive and Reductive Methods: Master the art of balancing additive and reductive methods in printmaking 
• Reflections: Explore how introspection enhances creativity 

Step 1: Introduction & Demonstration  

• Understand the materials and tools used in reductive monotype printmaking 
• Learn to create a simple floral arrangement 

Step 2: Meditative Mark-Making 

• Engage in mindful mark-making exercises, allowing yourself to become fully immersed in the creative process 

Step 3: Exploration of Additive & Reductive Methods 

• Understand the use of ink application, mark-making, and layering 
• Experiment with different tools and textures 

Step 4: Create Multiple Monotypes 

• Create 3 to 5 small prints 
• Experiment with different compositions and techniques 

No prior experience is necessary! Recommended for ages 12 and above. 

Artist Bio 

Dr. Yanyun Chen (b. 1986, Singapore) is a visual artist, and runs a drawing, new media and installation practice. Her works delve into the aesthetic, cultural and technological inheritances on one’s body, unravelling fictional and philosophical notions of embodiment, and are grounded in the physicality of human and botanical forms.