Lesson At A Glance

Here’s a brief overview of the complete lesson. It’s also on your prep page in the Ready, Set, Go! section (below the lesson).

Colored buttons jump to each section in the full lesson plan below.

10 Minutes – Students draw design motifs

10 Min – Cut and name printing papers

10 Min – Make 4 to 6 Thumbnails

15 Min – Trace block and draw final (w/erasing)

5 Min – Cut, tape, and transfer drawing to foam

20 Min – Cut foam and glue to base block

25 Min – Inking and printing on papers (name!)

10 Min – Clean and organize

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SCROLL & TEACH

LESSONPLAN

Each section is a different color. Read over once and then you can SCROLL & TEACH using any device you like. It’s designed to work well with your phone.

Students set up for sketching. Have everyone choose several references to create motif sketches from. This is practice sketching, and the purpose is to learn shapes and experiment.

While they work, explain that artists often use nature as an inspiration for their own stylized versions of images. You can copy directly from some designs, or use the photo reference to learn shapes of birds and flowers.

Encourage simplification of the photos. There is NO WRONG WAY to experiment. If you don’t like something, that’s good because it gets it out of your way.

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Students cut or tear large sketch papers. Fold the 14 x 17 paper in half twice, to create 4 sheets of 7 x 8.5 sized papers. Use at least two pages to create 8 or more printing sheets. Write your name in corner very small and save these for later. 

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Students make thumbnail sketches. 

You need to plan your print design, so start with thumbnail sketches. (Small and only big shapes inside a frame). It’s important to draw these so small that we cannot get into any details. The mind can design so fast that we have to make these simple layouts in 15-30 seconds, just using basic shapes to imagine a design. It isn’t art. It’s only a visual plan. There are usually only 4 or 5 big shapes. Don’t do details. Don’t add shading except as light and dark areas.

Make the design a silhouette – shapes and thick lines that can be cut out. Create 5 or 6 thumbnails of your ideas.

It’s a good rule of thumb… make thumbnails no longer than 1.5″ on any side.

It’s also good to demo how to do a thumbnail.

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P R E P

Before class, cut 1″ insulation foam sheets into 4″ x 6″ blocks – one for each student

Students choose one of their thumbnail designs. Make sure to choose something you know you can cut out of a sheet of foam. Make note of your orientation of the rectangle – horizontal or vertical.

Students place their base block on paper and trace the rectangle. Place it so you can make 2 or 4 of them on the page so you can start over if needed without wasting a whole sheet for one attempt.

Students work on their drawing. Only draw lines to indicate the edges of each solid shape.

Students should erase and correct often, or start over if needed.

Go around the room and help students simplify and make good design decisions.

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Students cut out their final drawing. Tear out the paper with the drawing from the pad, or rough cut around the drawing. Then carefully cut along the rectangle lines that were traced around the print block, so you have the 4″ x 6″ sketch.

Students tape their final drawing face down onto the craft foam.

Students transfer the drawing. Pressing firm but not enough to tear the paper, draw all over the back of the original drawing. This will transfer the graphite of the drawing onto the foam – in reverse. You can lift a section of the paper before removing completely, to make sure the drawing is fully transferred.

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Students carefully cut out their design shapes. If a piece is accidentally cut in two, it is fine. Just glue them down where they go and it will look correct in the final print.

NOTE: Rough cut each smaller shape, and then cut it carefully along the lines. It is much easier to handle a small piece, rather than a large one, to get details.

Students paste each piece of their design in it’s place – IN REVERSE of the original. This means placing the glue on the side of the craft foam without the pencil lines from the transfer. The pencil line side, which is a reverse of the original drawing, will be FACE UP on the base block. The entire design should be in reverse of the original drawing. Use the drawing as reference to get the placements.

USE A LOT OF GLUE! Cover the entire back of each piece, and have a scrap paper underneath so glue won’t get all over the tables.

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Students set up their work area. Everything should be put away except for pencils and all the papers they created for printmaking. More papers can be made if there is time.

Students make decisions. 

What color ink will be used for this print?

Which paper will you use?

Have everything ready, and clean hands.

Show students how to add ink to the rollers. Roll a lot, to make sure the ink is smooth and even all over the roller. Do not get too much ink! If it’s too thick, just roller more to spread it out.

Show Students how to ink the plate. Roller all over in several directions, keeping the roller level. If ink gets on the base, either wipe it off before printing, or cut those parts away from the base, or make deeper areas so that the ink doesn’t get on it.

Once the plate is fully inked and ready, carefully set a sheet on it without letting it slide around at all. Press firmly all over the paper where the image shapes are using your hand and fingers. Peel up a corner to see how it’s going and press more if needed.

Too much pressure can wrinkle the paper and/or transfer too much ink.

Remember, the ink process is not supposed to look perfect. A faded area or two can be really cool for your prints. Each one will be slightly different.

Students arrange printed paper at their own area. Then start the next print, taking turns at different inking stations.

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Students clean up their work area. Make sure everyone helps.

PRINTS should be dry pretty fast. If you need to, use a hair dryer. KEEP PRINTS AWAY FROM WATER!

Water based ink is a little messy but will clean up with water even after it dries. 

Most or all of the prints should be able to go home today. They can be stacked up as soon as they’re dry to the touch.

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Have a bunch of amazing supplies ready, and cut a few things apart before-hand in a way that make you look amazing.

Print all of your PDFs from the lesson plan and cut any references apart as needed.

STUDENT’S

MATERIALS

• 14″ x 17″ Sketch Paper
• 11″ x 15″ watercolor paper
• 2B Pencil
• 4B pencil
• Ebony pencil
• Black Sharpie
• Markers
• India ink
• Ink dip pen with metal nib (not too sharp a point)
• Soft compressed charcoal sticks (not pencils)
• Canvas pencil (dark gray colored pencil)
• White erasers
• Kneaded erasers
• Acrylic paints
• Oil pastels
• Blender sticks (stumps)
• Sandpaper boards (to clean blenders)
• Paper palette pad, or disposable trays/plates
• 11″ x 14″ Canvas (loose or from real canvas pad)
• Canvas boards (optional)
• Tape – blue painter’s tape
• Brushes – All sizes

Week #

Month 1 – 5

Students will learn cool stuff.

Week #

Month 1 – 5

Students will learn cool stuff.

Use this button to view our parent’s blog. Share the link: http://parentart.org, with your student’s parents so your they can read about the lesson each week.