Art Dad: Print Making

 This week my wife is focusing on Japan for homeschooling.  She asked me if I'd do print making with the kids (they would then write a poem to go with their art).  We used styrofoam trays I purchased at Dollar Tree (Because I love Dollar Tree!!), pencils, paper, spray bottle, and Sargent Art's Paint Sticks. I had the kids draw the basic lines for their image and then print with their lightest color (we spritz the paper with the spray bottle and blotted it with a paper towel before printing the first color to make it more receptive).  I then had the kids draw more detail into their work and print their medium value.  Last I had them decide what part would receive the darkest color, and we cut away the rest of the styrofoam.  The kids enjoyed the process, and wanted to make more! 

After we finished the incised prints, I had them make some transfer prints using aluminum foil, markers, spray bottle and paper.  The older girls were blown away, and wanted to make paper to create cards, collage paper, and backgrounds for other art. My oldest daughter's best friend is also home schooling with us.  Her mom texted me later that evening and said her daughter was so excited she taught their next door neighbor how do do the transfer print!! 

Art With Mr.E: Incised Plate Printing

Simple, accessible, and fun!!  You can do an incised plate print at home with just a few supplies! Check out my video!!  I'd love to see what you make..so post your work on my social media!!!  

Art With Mr.E: Make a Collagraph With Me

This project will give you a couple cool works of art! Have fun creating a collagraph with me! 

You will need.... cardboard(like cereal box), scissors, glue, crayons, 

acrylic paint, brush, water, and paper. 

Incised Plate Printing With Paint Sticks

I will often use marker for incised plate printing with my younger students....with mixed results.

After trying the Sargent Solid Tempera Paint Sticks, I don't think I'll ever use markers for this again!

There are different brands out there (DO NOT USE THE DOLLAR GENERAL VERSION..TERRIBLE!)  of the paint sticks, but I'm a huge fan of Sargent! 

(I did switch to blue from the original purple above!)

Stencil Revolution

I was contacted by Stencil Revolution to see if I'd like to try out their products. They did not ask me to write a review & did not pay me for a review.
You can check them out here! >>>> https://www.stencilrevolution.com/ 

I'm always up for trying something new....ya never know when you are going to find a gem!

Here is what I received! 

(Sorry it's upside down! My iPad was acting weird...or it was operator error?! ha ha)

The stencils are laser cut & made from a Mylar plastic (durable!). A little masking tape on each side secured the stencils to the paper. For this first test run I used liquid tempera.  Though over all it worked extremely well...the watery nature of liquid tempera did cause it to seep under the edges a bit for the tile design. If I used a thicker tempera or acrylic I don't this this would have been an issue at all!  Clean up was super easy! I placed them in warm water after I was finished and used a wet sponge to wipe them down. Check out the results below.  

Though I don't use stencils in my art class, I've been thinking about it more & more in print making & mixed media lessons. I shared with the company how a "teacher pack" might be very beneficial!!  Smaller sizes with a variety of designs bundled together....like a leaf/nature pack, patters from around the world, or geometric designs.

I see these designs being awesome for Gelli Plate prints & like products!

I'm a music person too...and love this set!!!

How can you not love this turtle!!!!!!!!!!!

Fairy Door Prints

My upcoming K-4th art show is going to be called Secret Garden.  It will be all things flowers, bugs, gnomes, and fairies.  I decided to try an incised plate print with 1st grade creating fairy doors.  We looked at a ton of examples, and the students were excited to create their own.  Here are my teacher examples.  I will post student work in the near future.  The plan is to add in a little color using colored pencil and to cut them out.

After looking at the examples of Fairy Doors, I had the students do a quick sketch to work out their idea for their door.

They recreated their incised plate next. 

They used brown Crayola marker to cover the door.

  I encouraged them to color in a vertical direction to mimic the boards on the door.

I had students dab their paper with a moist towel before printing their plate. 
They reapplied the marker before printing their second image.

Silk Screening/Printing Experiment

Sometimes you see things online & ya just have to give it a try!  

So let me share with  you my attempt at the silk screen project using pantyhose, embroidery hoop, and Mod Podge! I was pretty happy with the results, however...I'm not sure about doing this with a whole class...or whole grade level, but I can see this being an amazing project for small groups/centers/art clubs! 

1)  Buy some cheap Pantyhose! It really doesn't take much to cover a medium hoop.

2) Trim the excess off!  It will get in your way later if you don't.

3) Draw out your design.  You could place a pre-drawn image under the pantyhose, but I was afraid I'd slip and slide.  So I Sharpied it right onto the pantyhose.  

4) Paint on the Mod Podge (note: It is MOD Podge...not Modge Podge.  I did not realize that this ticks some people off when said incorrectly.  You've been warned! ha ha)  Remember that where you place the Mod Podge will remain white/paper color.  Also...pantyhose can be a bit challenging for young artists to "paint" on...so you might need to encourage them to make a thicker/bulkier design.  I think fine details would frustrate them when they apply the Mod Podge.

5) Allow to dry completely.  I did paint two coats of Mod Podge on my design just to make sure it had solid coverage.  One might have worked...but better safe than sorry!

6)  I used acrylic craft paint on mine.  I was afraid traditional printing ink would be too thick.  I placed it along the edge of the hoop.  Not sure how much that matters....but I was just thinking about traditional silk screening/printing.

7) I used an old gift card as my squeegee. You could use cardboard, cut down plastic lids..etc.  It isn't a large area, so use what will work best for the size hoop you are using.  

8)  I'm not sure what happened with my first print?  I printed these one after another...adding a little more paint when needed.  

9) Rinse the excess paint off the surface...CAREFULLY!  Well, that is if you want to use this "screen" again.  I washed mine off under slow running water...and just used my fingers to rub it to help get the paint off.  If you rub too hard or use too much water...you run the risk of removing the Mod Podge.  If you do plan to use it again...I'd recommend repainting it with the Mod Podge just to be safe. 

I HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL/INFORMATIVE! 

More Collagraph Prints: 2nd Grade

A couple weeks ago I shared my 2nd grade Collagraph Prints with you.  I was only able to print with  about half the class each time.  This week I was able to finish up printing with the rest of the students.  I just had to share more with you....they are so fun! 

       

    

Collagraph Prints: 2nd Grade

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So the past two class times in 2nd grade we've been working on collagraphs.  When I first started teaching...I had no idea what they were.  I did not have art till high school...and we jumped straight into linoleum block printing. When I went to college...print making was one of the classes I did not end up taking.  So...needless to say...I've learned a lot "on the job".  I honestly feel I learn something new every school year in regards to print making with my students.  AS IT SHOULD BE!!!

This year I decided to mark the tables with painters tape for where they needed to place their printing plate.  That way the mess is more on one side when they are inking their plates, and there will be space for them to print onto their paper that is clean(ish).  I also used the painters tape to tape down the trays for the ink.  After years of having them move all over the place and kids incredibly messy  trying hold it down as they obtained ink....the painters taped did the trick!!!

Someone asked me online how I do my plates because they looked different than theirs.  I just used regular old construction paper!!!  I usually do use tag board, old folders, or card stock, but this year I totally forgot.  These are a very happy accident!!  The key though is...glue coverage on the back so they do not peal up when applying ink!!  

Here are some of their beautiful pieces!!!