I attended an in-person introduction to botanical monoprinting, hosted by Cambridge Botanic Garden and led by Grace Hailstone. We began by collecting leaves and plants from around the gardens, then used a miniature etching press to create layered prints that captured the fine details of each specimen.

I’ve added 24 small monoprints, using black ink, yellow ochre ink, or a combination of the two. Some are simple silhouettes; others show ghostly impressions or textured layers. I especially enjoyed working with different types of leaves, ferns, ivy, grasses, and a few mystery weeds, and seeing how their veins and edges came through on the cotton paper. I photographs the prints next to a bright window. The light from the window has helped to highlight the texture of the paper and the prints.