Printing with 1st Grade

Printing is such a great process for kids.  They can take one image and manipulate it in so many different ways.  If it does not work, try something different!  It is quite demanding on the art teacher, but for the sake of art, I do it!! I have these two classes for 1 and 1/2 hours once a week.  They printed the entire class.  They were so engaged. 

We looked at lots of city skyline photographs and artwork on the internet.  They drew a cityscape on paper and then transfered it to the foam piece.  After tracing the picture, I have them go back and make each indentation deeper.  Then we ink up the plate.

 

 

After inking, they move to a clean area, top with paper and rub.  The look when they first pull the print is priceless... and the woooooowwwww!  Love it!

I give them opportunities for experimentation.  The one below was printed on some sort of tie dye patterned paper.  It gave the lines a little extra color.

I cut up tissue paper, and some other kinds, and they use glue stick to put on a blank sheet of paper.  We tried regular glue once, but the papers did not stick enough by the time they printed.  Even with glue stick, pulling the print can get tricky.  This class got into wadding up the tissue and printing on that!  Maybe not a clear print, but some cool results anyway!

The girl who did the print above wanted to do a Pompeii cityscape, with the volcano and all.  Yep she is in first grade.

They think that they invented inking up half the plate in one color and the other side another color.  After a while, they had so many different things going on that the prints became a little cluttered. 

An art teachers dream, students so excited an into their art work.  Love this job!