Elementary School printmaking instruction

I have been active the past month in the role as an arts educator visiting grade five classes in a couple of elementary school classrooms here in the city of Thunder Bay.

This is through the Community Arts and Heritage Education Project or CAHEP. I have been actively getting placements in schools through this program since 2006.

This year the learners have been given the opportunity to learn relief block printmaking. Not only do they get to try a brand new visual arts technique but learn about the principles of design and explore colour theory in the process. This years theme for the program is Thinking Outside the Box.
Here is the Project Overview for the second and most recent venture:

Project Title: Construction

This project uses relief block printmaking as the basis for the creation of hand printed imagery that utilizes several stages of process from start to finish.
Learners were given the opportunity to use two surfaces to create a two colour print on paper.
One surface was left solid and the second surface was carved into using special cutting blades to produce a relief design. Prints were produced by using careful registration of paper and application of ink to both sides of a block in two separate printing sessions.
To begin, the learners were encouraged to think about and share dialogue revolving around the concept of the word structure. Using photo reference they focused on a particular section of either a manmade or nature made structure. They enlarged the chosen area and proceeded to develop it and construct a colour print that would allow it to be viewed in an entirely different way.
This is where adhering to the theme of “thinking outside of the box” came into play.
Learners were also challenged by utilizing the principles of design in their respective works of art. During the project they learned about such important areas such as line, shape, positive and negative space, rhythm, repetition, texture, composition, contrast to name but a few.
Using linoleum cutting tools they were able to carve their images into a soft composite material (softoleum).  Ink was applied to the relief surfaces using brayers and prints were made in two colour combinations on paper using traditional hand printing methods.
An emphasis was made on using complementary and split complementary colour combinations in the prints that would allow for real contrasts and impact in the images.
The students printed a solid colour square first and then the cut side of the block with their design was printed over top in a contrasting colour.

Materials used:
Softoleum blocks, linocutting tools, water based printing inks, soft rubber brayers, registration
boards, subi printmaking paper, rubbing sticks, spray adhesive, white foamcore board panels, spray adhesive

Individual panels contain 6 prints are stacked vertically with an overall measurement 25.4 cm (10 inches) in width by 101.6 cm (40 inches in height).
Each image explores the concept of structure in two colours.

The finished results have been very good. I have put together a display module where an equal number of prints (6) are affixed to a foamboard panel in a vertical format. Four of the panels will be hinged together into a four sided column and set on a table to allow for 360 degree viewing.

The results of these sessions will be presented to the public in a day in Feb. at a Community based Arts Fiesta held annually in our local auditorium. Then the works will continue as a display in a public space such as an art gallery or other public accesible space for a longer duration through the month of March.

Below are some photos that were taken during different stages of the projects.

cutting the softoleum using linocutters

 reference for the drawing on the block is from a colour rough sketch

water based Speedball inks applied to the block using a rubber brayer

that was rolled out onto brayer from plate glass surface

registration of block on simple cardboard with foamboard strip taped on top.

The paper is held in place with push pins and the paper is set over the inked block

and burnished using a plastic rubbing stick using constant pressure in a circular motion.

back to back prints hung to dry on a clothes line.

One of several stations set up for application of different colours of inks to the blocks.

zig zag design - orange printed over top of a solid violet square

detail from square print panel - spiral shell design printed in green over red (complementary colours)

another detail from a print panel

spider web study - yellow over top of a solid red square

four panels each with six prints that will be hinged together to create a four sided column display 

Each  print is 14 x 14.6 cm (5.5 x 5.75 inches) and there are a total of 24 prints in total. 

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resuming work on recent relief print

I was away from my studio for nearly a week due mainly to a seasonal illness that made it very difficult if not impossible to perform any type of physical activity.

None the less have recovered to the point where I have resumed from where last left off. The time away did give me an opportunity to reflect on where I wanted to go with the image both in colour application and textural qualities, so have made a couple of alterations.

The first change is in the key block (the main black image) which is printed as the final colour to define everything. Additional small cuts have been made in the solid black water (central part of the print) to allow for a little more reflection of leaves in the trees. A few larger areas were gouged out of the linoluem in the immediate foreground to indicate a play of dark shadow with bits of lighter coloured ground revealed in between.


Decided to add another subtle colour into the print to define the rock along side of the water.

To achieve this have used thin non-corregated sheet card board as an alternate surface to create the relief. I am using the unused half of one side of an existing block (in this case the card block with the textured scratchfoam which creates the pock marks in the rock surface when printed in a slightly darker colour over the solid).

What I did was make a pencil outline of the rock area from my original sketch on tracing paper. I then marked off the corners of the block on the tracing paper for positioning on the new block.
I set a piece of black carbon paper underneath the tracing paper and retraced the outline onto the block. Then I traced the image outline again with the carbon underneath onto the thin piece of cardboard, the shapes were carefully cut out using an utility blade knife and pasted into the locations marked by the carbon outline on the block. I then sealed the cardboard with a thin wash of acrylic mat varnish applied by brush.


Here is a photo showing the block with the cut solid cardboard pieces in the lower half glued down and ready to print the solid subcolour areas for the rocks. The top half (the reverse side) is used as the surface relief to create the flecky texture darker tone in the rocks (it is printed over top of the solid colour.)








The block is inked up on the solid half (masking off the other half of the block using a piece of paper to act as a barrier). the block is then positioned in the brace and paper is placed over top and printed by running through the press. I then wipe off ink and apply a darker colour of ink to the textured relief side (same method) and rotate the block in other direction in the brace so that it prints over the solid layer.

The scrap of cartridge paper pictured below was used as to test proof the two colours printed one over another. The stains in the paper were made by tiny bits of oil which I didn't notice on the table surface after the paper was set down on it. This isn't an issue at this point, but when I do my actual printing on good paper it will be carefully set in a safe dry area to avoid any unpleasant accidents like this.





And finally here is the proof (without the blue and green layers) showing the main key block printed in black used to check that the edges match up according to the registration system (which they do.. woo hoo!). Unfortunately the speedball black water base ink I used for test proofing came out slightly blotchy on the paper as it had partially dried on the block by the time the print was made. I will be using black oil base ink for the final run. You will notice the little additional cuts I have made in the key block