Category: Printmaking

Patterns and Prints

5/12/2014

One of my favorite parts of my job is trying out old ideas in a new way with my students. 7th grade students created images based on 1960s posters. We changed up the project a bit from last semester and I am still not exactly sure how it is going to turn out in the end. Today, the goal was to complete adding the Sharpie designs on watercolor paper and tomorrow we will have the option of adding color to the pieces through marker, watercolor, or other materials students would like to use.

Some students decided to use a strong contrast between black and white in their images.

Emma decided to include colored Sharpies in hers.

This is my example. I enjoyed filling the space with images and designs. It will be fun to experiment with watercolor tomorrow.

8th grade students finished up their printmaking activities today. In addition to creating their two-color reduction print, they were asked to create a series of digital prints and also had the option of mono printing with Gelli plates.

Lauren's prints show a clear mood and use of the rule of thirds.

Chase made sure to use a repeating directional pattern to draw the attention to the center of his image.

Hallie was one of the first students to turn in her Photoshoped multiples inspired by Andy Warhol.

This was an example of using Gelli mono prints with a block print over top. Part of making art is seeing what happens when you try putting different processes together.

Positive and Negative

5/7/2014

The concept of positive and negative, additive and subtractive processes were being explored in the classroom today as students worked. 7th grade students finished their paper Notans and started on digital ones. 8th grade students worked on printmaking as they finished carving their first layer in their two-color reductions prints.

Paper Notan by Harrison K.

Digital Notan by Mason J.

Students working on prints after examining the work of Caledonia Curry, Kathe Kollwitz, Andy Warhol, and Banksy.

Printing and Paper Sculptures

4/22/2014

7th grade students worked on making multiples today as they printed their action poses inspired by Red and Black Figure pottery from Ancient Greece. Before selecting paper and ink colors, we discussed the idea of contrast and how colors interact with each other when they are used in a work of art.

8th grade students are working on their maquettes for their larger paper sculptures. It is fun to see the mini versions of their final works. Maybe in the future, we will just do a bunch of mini paper sculptures like Jennifer Collier (one of the artists we used as inspiration for this project).

The Planning Process

4/18/2014

I decided to try something new in class today as students were finalizing their sketches for upcoming projects in 7th and 8th grade art. Usually students create several options on newsprint and then apply to a final product, making decisions on their own throughout that process. Instead of working in isolation and only getting feedback half way through or at the end, students spent part of today reviewing the planning sketches of their peer and indicating their favorites with a check or a star. This gave students a chance to rethink their initial favorites and take their peers' feedback into consideration when moving onto the next stages before finishing their projects.

7th grade students are working on a printmaking project inspired by Red and Black Figure Pottery from Ancient Greece. Students selected an action image of their choice and planned out their patterned prints before getting feedback from their peers and applying the final design to their block.

8th grade students created maquettes to test out their planned paper sculptures before creating them on a larger scale. Creating a smaller model of the final design allows students to find the best possible solutions in a quick amount of time without wasting many resources. It was fun to see students struggle their way to solutions as they cut, folded, scored, and glued their designs together.

A Week Full of Printmaking

11/17/2013

7th grade Greek Inspired Prints

7th grade students learned about how contemporary artists Karen Lamonte and Michael Stuts draw inspiration from ancient art from Greece and Rome. After comparing their work to the originals, students were asked to create action poses inspired by what they found in Greek Red and Black Figure Pottery. You can see the results on our online gallery and follow along in the process by watching the slideshow below:

Students also learned interesting facts like why the Parthenon no longer has a roof, that Nike is not just a great shoe company, and the ugly truth about those classical white statues everyone thinks look so elegant. We are currently in the process of working on our plaster casting of fingers based on our exploration of Pompeii and should be complete by Thanksgiving with that. Below is a little preview of where we are at so far:

8th grade Self Expression Prints

8th grade students also got in on the printmaking action this week by creating a two-color reduction print using Wondercut and Linocut tools. We looked at the work of Swoon, Kathe Kollwitz, Andy Warhol, and Banksy before editing our images in Photoshop and transferring them to our printing plates. Reduction printmaking is always a little tricky because you have to think in reverse and make sure to get your registration just right. You can see the results on our online gallery and the process below:

Printmaking Fun

5/21/2013

Due to a grant awarded by the National Art Education Foundation, I was able to have artist Cindi Ford spend the day with students. She taught them a variety of printmaking methods and encouraged them to play and experiment with the media. It was an awesome and messy day in the Art classroom that I am sure no one will forget. I am so thankful for this experience, and know students are going to use her expert tips moving forward with other printmaking projects we accomplish.

More printing

12/3/2012

8th grade students started to finish their second color print today, once they had completed their additional carving. As you can see, students really made their work pop out with their color choices.

For the first print, they used complementary color sets. The final print could really be any other color of their choice. It was fun and interesting to see students experiment with this as they worked. I also liked how many made additional prints on different papers, even magazines.

We should be finished with the project tomorrow. I am thankful we were able to do this project and give much credit to that for the funding granted by the National Art Education Foundation.

Inking and Printing

11/30/2012

8th grade students started inking their plates today to create the first level of their print. They selected complementary colors for their paper and ink; on Monday they will finish carving out additional details and ink black and white to go over the ink they printed today.

It was probably the quietest day in the classroom to date. You can check out the video clip below to really see how quiet students were while working.

Making a Print

11/29/2012

Yesterday students worked on creating their images to turn into prints. Today, we transferred the pictures and began to carve out the designs. It is really fun to see how students are getting into this project. This project would not have been possible without the funding from the National Art Education Foundation, who awarded a $200 grant for printmaking supplies like the blocks being cut into for this project.

I am excited for the next step in this project, which is finishing up the first cut away, inking, and printing before moving onto the next phase of carving, inking, and printing.

More Animations and Printmaking

11/28/2012

As you can see from the images above, students are fast at work with their animations. Some brought in things from home to animate, while others are using cut paper and Photoshop. It is fun to see the different animations come together and I look forward to sharing them when we are done.

8th grade students are progressing with their project. Today we went through four artists who use printmaking to create their images. Rather than me writing about it, you can check out the Prezi below.

We will start to transfer our edited images tomorrow so we can begin the printmaking process. Check out one response to this presentation by an 8th grade student:

My conclusion overall would be that even though these artists use a similar process to make their pieces, they all have differents meanings to them and they depict completely different things with different meanings and moods in them. But some of them compared to one another, such as Kathe's to Swoons, they both have these sketchy parts to them but the mood/feeling is completely different. I think that Andy Warhol is a very creative person thus his success and I have this feel coming from Banksy's work that is like a free feeling, also similar to Swoon's. My overall favorite would probably be Swoon and Banksy's work. -- Kathy, 4th hour

8th grade Printmaking Project on Prezi