Printmaking

Opening Discussion

Ask your students if they have ever seen a dollar bill before. Do all dollar bills look different or do they look almost exactly the same? Did they ever wonder how are the pictures are put on the paper, or how so many can be made that look the same? Tell them that paper money (and lots of other things) are “printed”. There are lots of different ways to print things—dollar bills are created when an image that looks like a dollar bill is made on a piece of metal, ink is put on the metal and paper is pressed onto the metal, making a print. Thousands of pieces of paper can be run over these metal plates, and the dollar bills will all come out looking the same. Tell children that today they will be making their own prints out of objects from around the afterschool.

The Challenge

Create your own beautiful prints from these found objects.

Doing the Activity

1. Students should work individually for this activity.
2. Show students how they will make their prints. Select an object from the materials you have gathered—a key might be a good first choice. Lay the key down on a piece of scrap paper. Add a small amount of paint to a paper plate, then, using a small paintbrush, apply a thin layer of paint to the side of the key that is facing up, making sure to cover the whole side with paint. Ask the class where on the paper they think you should make the print, then carefully turn the key over and lay it on the paper, paint side down. Put another piece of paper on top of the key and rub. This is called “burnishing” (pushing the paint onto the paper evenly). Remove the top piece of paper and the key and voila – you have a print of the key!
3. Show students the materials they will use to make their prints. Start with the objects—let students handle them, looking for objects with interesting textures. Some objects, like corrugated cardboard, have really interesting textures inside them. Peel the top layer of a piece of a small piece of cardboard off and you will see the inside “ribs” exposed. Once each child has selected an object to make a print of, have them return to their seats.
4. Distribute materials so that children can make their own prints. Have students sit in teams of 4–6, and give each team 4–6 plates with different colors of paint on each of them. Each student should also have a paintbrush and a few pieces of paper. If you have some, give students construction paper or other heavier-duty paper to make their prints on and scrap paper to use as their “burnishing” paper.
5. Time to print! Move around the room looking for opportunities to ask children questions about the materials they chose. Look also for cooperation—make sure that children are sharing the materials fairly.

Let’s Talk About It

After each child has made 1 print, gather everyone together to talk about what they have done so far. Did anyone discover tips or tricks for making good prints? Did anyone discover something that made it harder to make a good print? Look for children that talk about pressing too hard when they are burnishing (this can smudge the print or even tear the paper), children who used too much or too little paint, etc.

Did anyone notice any interesting details in their prints? What else do they notice? Are there any other objects they can think of that might make interesting prints?

Build On What They Talked About

If you have the time and it is nice outside, take your children on a walk around your afterschool center to find natural objects that they could use in their print making. Look especially for leaves, seeds, sticks, etc. Have students bring these objects inside and make more prints with them. You can also have them simply make more prints with the objects you have gathered.

When students make a print, invite them to tape it up on the wall. Near the end of the session, when all the printing is done, ask students to walk around the room and look at the other children’s prints. What do they notice? What objects made interesting prints? Did anyone combine a few different objects together to create a print?