Collagraph Printmaking with Kids using Wooden Blocks

Jennifer from Small Hands Big Art is back! She is sharing this GORGEOUS collagraph printmaking projection that she did with her students. They used big wooden blocks and designed these admittedly stunning quilts using warm and cool colors. Can we just call Jennifer the queen of color, please? Let's detect out how she made this all happen!

(And check out Jennifer's layered abstract paintings which also used warm and cool colors and was the most popular post last summer!)

Here is Jennifer…

We love a expert printmaking projection!  This no-neglect process involves the perfect mix of pattern, shape, repetition, colour theory, composition and movement.

At a glance, you might retrieve this is a "block printing" project because we literally used blocks. But don't exist fooled! With real block printing (commonly using linoleum) the negative space gets carved out with tools. The technique nosotros used here is actually called collagraph printmaking considering we created araised design by applying foam shapes to the surface of the wood.

When nosotros practise a printmaking projection, we always showtime past introducing the definition of printmakinone thousand at a level that the kids tin understand (i.eastward. "making a stamp"). For this project, the printed squares joined together in a grid pattern that reminded u.s.a. of a fabric quilt, so nosotros took a moment to talk about quilting and why the repeating patterns of a quilt are and then visually pleasing.

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Supplies for Collagraph Printmaking with Blocks:

~ Large wooden blocks (westwarde purchased 4″ x 4″ x eight″ wood posts at our local lumberyard, and cut them into iv″ x 4″ cubes, or you can buy blocks on Amazon or through Casey's)

~ Tempera paints pre-mixed in warm and cool colors (westwarde only use high quality tempera paint with a super skilful opacity, viscosity, and pigment — these brands are best: RAS or Blick)

~ Brushes

~ Large format paper(we used a heavy weight 90# sulphite drawing paper – this link is to 9 x 12 but nosotros used 12 x 18)

~ Self-agglutinative foam (westwarde pre-cut a variety of shapes, but kids could cut their own shapes if time permitted)

~ Black archival ink pad (large enough to accommodate blocks)

Steps to Making Collagraph prints:

PART One

1.Tape the paper down to the table or floor to keep it from fluctuant.

2. Choose a color palette of either warm or absurd colors, and stick to it throughout the process.

iii.Paint ane side of of the block, and then transfer the paint onto the newspaper. Nosotros gear up apainting tabular array and a printmaking table, then there was a lot of movement for this projection!

iv. Apply paint again using a different colour from the same family on top of the same side that was merely painted. We applied paint over and over again on a single side of the block for a number of reasons. The cake gets too slippery if all the sides are painted (too the foam sticker shapes won't adhere if the block is wet). And by layering the paints, the print is so much more vibrant because yous can meet several colors mingling together!

5.Repeat the process of press ane square at a time until the total quilt is completed.

The kids work at actually different paces on this project.  Some fill a giant sheet of newspaper fairly quickly; others are more meticulous and only impress a few rows & columns. In those cases, we merely simply trim the excess paper when they reach a proficient stopping point.

PART Ii

6.  Next, each pupil begins assembling patterns using cocky-agglutinative foam shapes. (If the blocks are super wet, take a quick minute to dry them off with a newspaper towel.) Nosotros challenged them to design a repeating pattern on one side of the cake. Thinking through repetition , visual residue , and visual interest , each pupil makes two to four unique patterns.

7.Printing the block firmly on a black ink pad to option up a lot of color. Select squares that are by and large dry to utilize the print. We coached them to spread the stamped designs randomly on their squares (little ones will want to only do them all side past side).

This function is fun and very physical equally it takes all of their strength (and sometimes full trunk weight) to transfer the stamped print.

We merely love the manner the pigment captures the grain of the wood in the print!

This would be an awesome project to make on fabric, past the fashion! Just have an erstwhile canvas and tear it into a square and use acrylic paint instead of tempera pigment.

Nosotros loved these so much, we kept their printing blocks so we could plough them into some other projection. So keep an eye out for those!

~ Jennifer

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A little about Jennifer:

As the founder of small hands big art, Jennifer learned at an early age the ability that art and creative (albeit deviant) thinking can have. Other than that one time she strategically scrawled "Jenny is a Squealer!" on her bedroom door & let her blood brother take the arraign, some of her fondest childhood memories involve creating art.

A college art scholarship naturally led to a 17 year career in financial services compliance, where she memorized SEC regulations and honed invaluable skills implementing out-of-the box enterprise deliverables & driving for consensus. (huh??) After stepping on that picayune shelf thingy on the top of the corporate ladder labeled "Not a Step," she'southward spent the last 9 years simply enjoying what inspires her near: Children & art.

Jennifer opened her studio 2009 to provide fine fine art enrichment programs for children & young adults upwards to historic period 14, through age and developmentally appropriate classes, parties, camps and workshops.

Follow Jennifer on Instagram (you lot volition be blown abroad) and Facebook.

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Did yous like this post? Here are some more than printmaking projects for kids:

guerrieromusbacked.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.artbarblog.com/collagraph-printmaking-with-kids-using-wooden-blocks/

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