Today we had such an awesome art lesson that I have come home on a Friday afternoon to blog about it. Yes, it was that awesome. And simple. And easy. Let's not forget effective.
Craft foam prints were made this afternoon, and the over all effect is just stunning. The photos do not do the prints justice.
I purchased a packet of A4 craft foam from the local dollar shop. There were four sheets in the pack, two thick and two thin. I've put the thin pieces aside for another day, and we used the thickest available. This meant that our prints were lovely and clear and the foam did not rip. I cut each sheet into 4 (A6 size?) to make it go a little further.
The students used ball point pens to 'draw' their image onto the foam. It didn't matter if the pen didn't work... we just needed a good, clear indentation in the foam. Today the children had 'free choice' on what (school appropriate) pictures they wanted to draw. They went to town on it.
Next, we used the traditional inking rollers used in printmaking to spread the paint over the foam. I had the paint distributed around the classroom on plastic plates. This worked great- easy clean up and a nice, flat surface for the rollers. I think that you could also use sponges to apply the paint if no rollers are available.
At first I was worried that too much paint would result in a poor print. However, the children quickly proved that wrong. It takes a surprisingly large amount of paint to 'ruin' the print.
Our last step was to lay the foam template paint-side down on our sheet of paper and rub our palms evenly over the back. I had two pioneers ask for clean rollers to create the smoothest rolling possible. The children's excitement as they peeled the foam back was so gorgeous.
As you can see, the results were surprisingly effective for such a quick and easy art activity. I love how the children experimented with the layout of their prints over the paper.
Today's art was created by children 5-10 years old and was achievable for them all. Its a win. The inspiration for foam prints came from this website: http://www.childcentralstation.com/2011/06/homemade-stamps.html
Craft foam prints were made this afternoon, and the over all effect is just stunning. The photos do not do the prints justice.
I purchased a packet of A4 craft foam from the local dollar shop. There were four sheets in the pack, two thick and two thin. I've put the thin pieces aside for another day, and we used the thickest available. This meant that our prints were lovely and clear and the foam did not rip. I cut each sheet into 4 (A6 size?) to make it go a little further.
Next, we used the traditional inking rollers used in printmaking to spread the paint over the foam. I had the paint distributed around the classroom on plastic plates. This worked great- easy clean up and a nice, flat surface for the rollers. I think that you could also use sponges to apply the paint if no rollers are available.
At first I was worried that too much paint would result in a poor print. However, the children quickly proved that wrong. It takes a surprisingly large amount of paint to 'ruin' the print.
Our last step was to lay the foam template paint-side down on our sheet of paper and rub our palms evenly over the back. I had two pioneers ask for clean rollers to create the smoothest rolling possible. The children's excitement as they peeled the foam back was so gorgeous.
As you can see, the results were surprisingly effective for such a quick and easy art activity. I love how the children experimented with the layout of their prints over the paper.
Today's art was created by children 5-10 years old and was achievable for them all. Its a win. The inspiration for foam prints came from this website: http://www.childcentralstation.com/2011/06/homemade-stamps.html
Even though it's not as popular now, cardboard printmaking is still a noteworthy historical method. Using cardboard's special qualities for both conventional and experimental printmaking techniques, artists have long used it to add textures and patterns to their works.
ReplyDeleteCardboard Furniture