SYMMETRY PRINTS
Supplies For Day 1:
4” squares of plain paper (2 or 3 per student)
one 4” square cardboard template per student
pencil and eraser
sissors
styro-foam plates or meat trays
popsicle or craft stick
Supplies For Day 2:
ink brayer
black tempera paint
plenty of 4” squares of colored construction paper
glue sticks and
large black construction paper for matting the prints
Show your students several examples of block prints
Traditionally block prints are made by carving a design into either wood, rubber or linoleum. Since the students are too young to carve with sharp tools, we will be using a pencil to carve into a foam plate.
Start by asking the class if anyone knows the definition of symmetry. A mirror image or one side of a dividing line is the same as the other side. Butterflies, faces, and snowflakes are great examples of symmetry.
For all of the print-making projects I teach, I’ve made a sample ahead of time for every step. This is so helpful and worth the time since print-making is an involved process that most kids have never seen before. The students can see as I go through the steps, how a line drawing is made into a print.
I begin by showing the class my finished print of a symmetrical design printed with black ink onto colored construction paper. Then, I show the class the pencil drawing I started with. It is a 4” square of paper that has been folded diagonally into a triangle but my pencil drawing is only on one side of the triangle. I fold the paper so the pencil drawing is facing inward and rub it with a popsicle stick or trace over it so the graphite transfers to the blank side of the triangle. When I open the paper I now have a symmetrical drawing on both sides of the diagonal fold. The transferred drawing will be light so darken the lines with pencil. Now it is time to transfer the pencil drawing onto the foam plate.
Cut 4” square cardboard templates for the kids to use to trace a square onto the foam, then cut it out. Take the pencil drawing and lay it pencil side down onto the foam square. I pretend to take my pencil and trace or rub the back of the drawing so that when I lift the drawing, the graphite has been transferred very lightly onto the foam. The transfer may also be made by poking holes along the line drawing with your pencil so you end up with dotted lines in the foam plate.
Next, show the students how to make indentations in the foam by pressing, then dragging their pencil point along the lines. This will create deep grooves so the ink sticks to the surface of the foam, but it won’t get into the grooves. If kids use too much force and cut through the foam with their pencil, simply tape the back.
Now I take my ink brayer, roll it in pretend ink, and then onto the foam plate. Of course, I have done this ahead of time and show the class my foam square with black ink on the surface, but the line drawing is white since the brayer rolled over the grooves without inking them. Take your print done ahead of time and lay it onto the inked foam, pressing and rubbing the paper. Lift the paper and it will look like you have pulled a print of the design. Very important... students need to write their name on the back of the paper before applying wet ink. This is always the hardest part to remember.
For day one the kids should have created their design and transferred it onto the foam square so that day two is reserved for printing. They should have their names on the back of their foam plate as well.
Day 2:
Cover the area you will be using for printing with paper or plastic because print-
making gets messy. Have painting smocks or extra large t-shirts for the kids to wear over their clothes. Ask students come up one, two at a time and walk them through the process. Sometimes I ask a student who has finished making their prints to help out by teaching the next student in line.
Place a spoonful of printing ink or acrylic paint onto a cookie sheet. Even Tempera paint will work in a pinch. Next, show the student how to roll the brayer through the ink forward and back, side to side, until they have a nice even layer of ink on the cookie sheet. The ink will make a sticky or crackling sound when it is ready. Now, have the student roll the ink loaded brayer onto the plate. If the grooves are deep enough and the ink isn’t goopy or too thick, it should cover the surface of the plate leaving the line drawing white and untouched. Place a colored piece of construction paper on top of the plate and rub, rub, rub. Don’t let the paper slide around or the design will get blurred. Pick a corner and pull the print like taking the backing off a sticker. The first print is always for practice. Evaluate the print to see if perhaps the ink should be rolled thicker or thinner or if the paper needs to be pressed more. If ink got into the design then the grooves are not deep enough. Gently wash the plate with soap and water and drag the pencil along the lines again to deepen the grooves.
When the kids have printed their little hearts out, have them set the prints and the printing plates on the drying rack, then wash up.
The next art class, when the prints and plates are all dry, offer large pieces of black construction paper to mount their prints on. A heavy coating of stick glue should do the job. Two prints side by side, a row of three, or a square of four look really nice. Frame-worthy, even.
Finally, this is a great time to explain what those numbers are for that you see at the bottom of art prints. In the bottom left corner of the first print they made have them write the number one, a two on the second print they made, and so on... then follow that number with a forward slash, and then the number of total prints made. So let’s say on the 3rd print they made out of 7 total they should have a 3/7 which means it is the third in a series of seven prints. In the olden days, artists would destroy their wood block so no more prints could be made and that would make them more valuable.
In the right bottom corner of the print, have them sign their fancy artist signature and write the date. Done! An official artist’s print.