Patterned arrays of PbS and ZnS crystals were produced using growth templates of patterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), prepared with methyl and carboxylate terminated thiols on Au. The PbS and ZnS crystals were deposited using chemical solution deposition and the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods, respectively. Crystal growth was necessarily directed to the hydrophilic areas of the substrate. Characterisation of the films was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface plasmon microscopy (SPM). SPM, as a very sensitive technique for imaging thin films of low contrast, was demonstrated to be highly suited to the analysis of the ZnS samples.