Teaching at KidVentures Summer Art Camp Pt. 2

Picture Book Art Journal
created by James
Kidventures summer camp program
Aug 10 - 14, 2015
Baggage Building Arts Centre
Thunder Bay, Ontario


I completed the second and final week as an instructor working with young artists through the City of Thunder Bay's KidVentures summer camp program. 
This week 18 young talents explored the theme of "Around Thunder Bay" and created a multi-page "Picture Book & art journal".

Here is a daily breakdown of this week's activities

• Monday, sketch in pencil then fill in with acrylic paints on rag paper.

pencil sketch on paper held onto plasti-core board with green painter's tape. The young artist decided to explore the theme of rivers and fishing in this piece.

applying primary acrylics with brush to the pencil composition

the beginnings of a forested area in brown and orange

a floral theme being explored by this young artist

• Tuesday, search for imagery from various sources (ie. magazines, newspaper) then cut and paste these onto the painting to create a visual story.

this artist decided to do collage first and paint later

a small collage element (local retailer logo)

a bit of birds added and persons in watercraft in the lower areas

what one would see while canoing down a river

fish 

wildlife in the forest

• Wed, onto heavier board map in pencil another image then using air dry sculpting medium and liquid white glue construct a low relief composition.

rolling out clay-like air dry sculptng medium on plastic sheet with a wood dowel

the artists had the chance to use texture pressing plates (the colourful plastic squares you see at the top of the photo

applying the sculpting medium with liquid white glue onto the heavier paper board 

(this will become the cover of the picture book)

book cover with no colour added, the artist liked the effect just as it was in white.

• Thursday, apply paint to the dry sculpting medium.               Begin sketch on paper and transfer onto thin styrofoam plate by tracing through using ballpoint pen.

painting the dry sculpting medium on board, don't worry the board will lost it's curl when the paint has dried.

using a ballpoint pen an artist is drawing into flat styrofoam plate that will become a relief print on paper

• Friday, using soft rubber brayers roll water soluble relief print inks to the foam plates and print onto coloured papers. Create small stamps from scrap pieces of styrofoam and print on paper.

printmaking station - graphic chemical water-soluble inks (non-toxic, easy wash up with water. Good open air working time (up to 2 hours). We used plexiglass to roll our inks out with soft synthetic rubber brayers.

two colours of ink carefully rolled on the plate ready for printing

relief prints drying on a sunny ledge

student stamping using different designs and arrangment

relief print page in the Picture book



We took all of the work and assembled it in a book form using drilled holes and decorative string. A few extra pieces of blank rag watercolour paper were included as additional pages for doing an at-home activity with wet or dry media.

Challenges of teaching printmaking to very young artists

students making prints off styrofoam

I have learned during my recent placement in a local school as an art educator that there have been a few challenges involved with teaching printmaking to young primary school students.
With grades one and two level they are just beginning to learn about colour.
My first recourse before we are fully engaged in an activity has been to first explain a little bit to them about colour. Using the colour wheel as a visual aid has been the best way to do this. I try to make a little game out of this by telling them terms and then see if they can remember the terms.
Using word and number association is a clever way to help remember. I tell them that the three primary colours them are the first or #1. Mixing of the combinations of the 3 makes secondary colours which become #2. Tertiary or third colours are #3. Showing them the opposite colour in a straight line across the wheel helps them to recognize the complementary colour.

I also am finding that some of the key learning aspects with basic printmaking are shape and texture. Surfaces such as cardboard, modeling clay, craft foam and styrofoam are used as the means by which students can explore both of these.
Drawing skills are of course key to any artistic discipline so we also focus on this. I show them examples of line and related ie. dots, cross hatching, spacing of linear elements, weight of line, etc...
I also talk about key concepts such as repetition, pattern, contrast of colours, colour harmony, balance of elements in a composition. These require an explanation in it's simplest form so that the young minds can grasp what I am saying. I achieve this by drawing an example on the chalk board or pointing out a particular concept by showing them a famous work of art and how it illustrates and incorporates this.

I explain to them that what sets printmaking apart from other types of art approaches is the ability to make multiple images from a single source.

Challenges are discovered though the application of ink onto a surface (either too thin or too thick) and determining the correct amount of pressure to apply when printing using hand rubbing or stamping ( not enough yields a spotty print or too much pressure and you get a blob with no details).

My visits have been limited to less than one hour. This has forced me to deliver projects that can be accomplished either in one visit or in stages over several visits. It means I have to set up materials ahead of class and not dwell too much on discussion but give students engagement time to be creative.

Elementary School art - mix media printmaking with primary students

Grade one student with his collage/print (mix media)

The past couple of visits to the classrooms of grades one and two at St. Martin were productive. Students learned a bit about colour theory using the colour wheel for reference.
The object of this particular activity was making impressions from different surfaces. It also explored textural elements.
Phase one had the students draw into or press objects into modeling clay. Water based block printing ink was rolled onto the surface, paper was set over top and an impression was made onto paper using hand rubbing with an object or fingers.

explanation of  how secondary colours can be created from the mix of two of the primary colours

 and this was also used as a visual aid for explaining complementary colours to young students

a student discovers that modeling clay can be rolled and textured

to produce a continuous print on paper 

plastic texture plate was used on modeling clay to make an impression.
Orange block print ink was rolled across the surface

too much application of ink and using too much pressure unfortunately

 smudges the prints as a few students learned during the process

semi circular set up for students to apply inks to clay plates

colour textural impressions set aside to dry

Phase two had the students cut the prints out from the paper and glue (collage) these onto a piece of heavier Bristol board. Foam peel and stick shapes were affixed onto cardboard squares and ink was rolled onto the raised relief shapes. These were stamped over top and into the collage.
Themes explored included underwater and land based environments. Students also incorporated additional drawing and colour applications using marker to the collage prints.

students applying ink to foam shapes on cardboard (stamps) at inking station

grade one student adding elements using marker to the collage and stamp picture

pressing a stamp shape onto paper

different applications of printmaking, collage and drawing create a unique and interesting visual

grade one student work - crocodile on marshy area...quite clever!

Grade One student Isabelle's mix media picture

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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