7th Grade Printmaking!

I LOVE PRINTMAKING! This art form is so appealing to students of all ages for many reasons. First, there are many options for print creation. One can use an existing image or create their own. Second, the process of creating the stamp is very tactile and engaging. Tools and materials range from potatoes, foam, lino or wood. The print outcome depends on how one manipulates the tools. Very engaging with an element of added suspense when it's time to stamp!

I scaffolded the printmaking process with the foam technique. I started off the class by showing this video to introduce the process. I selected a skull line design image that was very interesting and demo'd how to imprint the image onto foam. Once done, I demo'd how to use the brayers and stamp on paper. The students were UBER excited to get started!

Then it was time for Lino Blocks! We used both sides of the block to carve. Side 1 was of a skull image I provided and side 2 was a skull image of their choice. I also had the students create texture in the background on both sides of the block. Since the objective for these stamps is to create cards for Monster Mail, students were really invested on the quality of their work and made many revisions after reflecting and practicing printing their stamps on these worksheets.

I have to say the I am SUPER impressed with all of their stamped images! On Monday we will talk about the elements of design pertaining to paper layering and card creation. By the end of the day we should have over 250 AWESOME Monster Mail Cards for Leadership to sell! Stay Tuned!