Join me on an exploration of the wonderful world of printmaking!
My favorite part of art class during my school days was printmaking. It was such a refreshing change from traditional drawing or painting because I could make multiple prints of my blocks and layer them how I wanted to. It allowed me to experiment with different colors and combinations without the worry of messing up my original block. Revisiting printmaking as a college student certainly brought back some joyous memories from art class!
When it comes to printmaking, there are many different types of prints you can explore. For the purpose of this blog, I will be delving into 3 of them: gelli-printing, linocuts, and foam printing.
MATERIALS
Gelli Printing:
Gelli plate
Soft body acrylic paints
Paper
Brayer and glass tray
Hand sanitizer or baby wipes
Paper towels
Stencils - You can make them yourself or use what you find around
Textural objects - Things like feathers, bubble wrap, lace, stamps, plastic, nets, etc. Try anything :)
Linocut:
E-Z-Cut Printing Blocks
Carving tools for block printing, varying blade sizes
Block printing ink
Paper
Brayer and glass tray
Baren
Palette knife
Foam:
Same materials as linocut, except replace the printing blocks with foam printing plates and use a pencil/pen instead of carving tools. You can also use regular paint and not necessarily block printing ink if working with younger kids
Printing Exploration
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Gelli-Plates
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Steps:
Start off with putting a few dots of paint onto your gelli plate and spreading it into a translucent coat with the brayer. If there's not enough paint, add more. If it's too much and not translucent, perhaps start over. Feel free to combine colors by blending them completely or leaving it splotchy for cool effects!
Add as many stencils or textural objects as your little heart desires. Then, get a sheet of paper to put on top and rub it hard so the paint transfers.
After you rub the paper hard enough, pull it off to reveal your prints! The negative areas are from the stencils, and this technique is called "stencil plate."
After completing step 3, there will still be paint left over on your gelli plate. If you place another piece of paper on top of that gelli plate again, more textures of the stencils or objects will appear in this new print. For example, the 5th pic shows my first print vs. the ghost print. Notice how the ghost print captured the texture of my net even though the original one couldn't due to thick stencils.
Now that you've learned the basics, you can layer prints! Place the same paper on top of a new gelli plate covered with stencils or designs. Repeat multiple times.
Linocut
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Steps:
Create a design on your blocks with a pencil. Keep in mind the lines are what you'll be carving away and are the "blank" part of your prints. Also, remember that your design will be backward when printed!
Apply a few dots of paint onto your glass plate then spread with the brayer. Always start small, then apply more if needed. If you want gradient effects, apply 2-3 colors parallel to one another and roll in ONE direction.
Roll the ink onto your blocks. Apply as many layers until fully covered (but not too many or paint will go into the crevices)
Put your paper on top of the linoleum block and use a brayer to rub the ink into the paper. Press and rub firmly. Peel the corners to sneak a peak of the print and see which areas need more rubbing.
Peel the paper completely to reveal your prints! Feel free to add more layers like how I did with the elephant
Foam
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Steps:
Draw your design on a sheet of paper. Like linocut, the lines are what you'll be carving away and are the "blank" part of your prints. Your design will be backward as well when printed.
Place paper on top of the foam plate and secure it with tape on one side. Trace your lanes HARD with a pencil or pen so they make indents on the foam. Alternatively, if you wish to freehand, you could draw directly on the foam.
Follow the same rest of the steps as linocut (Steps 2-5)
Printmaking Techniques
Gelli printing - Found objects and stencils are essential for gelli printing and adding texture. It's important to not put too many materials in between the gelli plate and paper, though, otherwise not much of the paint will show. Layering is also a great way to play with composition and color. I suggest using a ghost print as a base for the other layer(s) you wish to place on top. Let it dry for a few minutes, and then create "stencil" prints on top of it as many times as you'd like. There are no rules to this, so be as chaotic as you'd like with the composition. As for color, I'd strongly suggest layering with contrasting colors (light and dark or complimentary). If using analogous color combinations, it'll be very hard for your textures or stencil marks to show. Don't be afraid to explore and have fun!
Linocuts - For linocuts, the thickness of the linoleum cutters matters when it comes to how much you want to carve out of your block. Always remember that whatever you carve out will be the blank (the one without paint) space of your print, and it will show up backward as well. I remember doing a project in high school where I carved out names normally and they all came out backward, whoops! Also, the higher the number on the cutters, the wider the cuts will be. Wide cutters are great for carving out large areas and thin cutters are great for finer detail. Hatching and patterns can add many textures to your work and make it more intricate. Lastly, be careful not to use too much paint (when you lift your brayer from the glass it should sound slightly sticky), or else it'll go into the crevices of the carvings.
Foam prints - This type of printmaking is great to use as an introduction to printmaking for young kids or any beginners. It helps them practice carving (in this case, creating indents with the pencil) and how it would affect the final look of the print (blank spaces vs colored spaces with ink). It's also an affordable method so children can try it out multiple times. You could draw directly onto the foam, place a photo on top of the foam and trace the outlines, or create a drawing and transfer the drawing onto the foam as well. Press just hard enough that noticeable indents are made, but not too hard or you'll poke through the foam.
Monotype: A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print. It starts with a clean surface (like the gelli plate), then you add ink and whatever other materials you want to create an image that will make an impression on paper. Most of the ink will be removed with the first print, but you can make "ghost" prints from the leftover ink that will vary greatly from the first. Gelli plate printing is an example of a monotype.
Monoprint: A monoprint is a single impression of an image made from a reprintable block. No two prints are ever identical, however, for you can vary the inking of the block and create a series with those varying prints if you wish. Linocuts and foam prints are a type of monoprinting.
Personal Thoughts
Printmaking is an enjoyable medium for playing around with positives and negatives and how they interact with each other and/or the layers underneath. Gelli printing involves several found objects whose prints could serve as backgrounds for other pieces, thus creating the effects of a collage. You could also repurpose those prints and recycle them for other projects like origami! Pattern-making with linocut and foam prints could also allow for the exploration of color combinations as you make multiple prints next to each other, and all of those together or separately could represent specific emotions related to the image you printed. A printmaking series could also be used to tell a story or as commentary on social injustices because of the history behind the medium. To learn more about that, check out this page.
Additional sources for help!
Lino-Cut Printmaking Process - Tips and Tricks *adding a Sharpie layer is optional, but an awesome tip!
Exploring my Theme - Cat Characteristics
Inspiring linocut printmaking artist who has a cat/animal series: Gina Palmer
Other awesome printmakers not related to my theme: Delita Martin, Favianna Rodriguez
Linocut printmaking
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I chose to represent a frightened cat for this medium exploration. It's difficult to get different values with printmaking, therefore I chose to focus primarily on expression, linework, and texture with my design. I made sure to make the cat's fur point upward with hard, quick strokes of the pencil onto the foam plate. I also wanted to give it a comical effect, therefore I made symbols/patterns that portray fright! Printing was a learning process because sometimes I applied too much or too little paint. I would give kids multiple papers so they can practice the correct paint amount needed for a perfect print. I would also suggest they check how much they're pressing their pencil on the plate or how much they're carving away if doing linocuts. They could apply a layer of marker to see which areas need more indents/carving as a test before printing with ink.
For the Classroom...
Age appropriateness & behavioral expectations:
There are different age groups for each type of printmaking. Foam can be used with very young elementary schoolers (and up) while gelli prints could be for older elementary schoolers (and up). My first time doing linocut was in 5th grade, so I would suggest 5th-grade kids and middle/secondary schoolers for that type.
Students should not ingest any of the paint or ink. Keep an eye on the little ones so they're safe
Students should always wash their hands after use especially if working with stronger inks. They should also wash the tools for the next person's use
Students should not play around with any sharp tools!! They should follow all safety instructions from the teacher
ALL paints/ink should have their caps/lids put back on once students are done to avoid them drying out
Students should work in stations and on top of newsprint, butcher paper, or plastic table coverings to make instructions and clean-up easier
Accommodations
Project Ideas
Safety & Health
Reference:
Hafeli, Mary Claire. Exploring Studio Materials: Teaching Creative Art Making to Children. Oxford University Press, 2015.
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