Printmaking

Over the next few weeks we are starting a new art study - printmaking.  We started with a very basic definition:

P R I N T I N G  =  ink  + pressure

We are going to explore a variety of methods over the course of our study, culminating in a block print with a text message.  To start off we tried some unconventional ways to get paint onto paper.   As you can see below, painting with string yields some very different results than painting with a brush or fingers.  

We also had an opportunity to try a unique method of applying paint to paper thanks to the amazing Ms. Layman.  She had the brilliant idea of using the paper left on the gym floor from the winter bazaar to make large, very large art.  She also thought it would be a good chance to explore pendulums based on the swing that one of our students uses during PE.  Sue and Gregg Heintz built us some frames for hanging pendula over large sheets of paper.  We used recycled bottles left over from the air pressure experiments to make paint dispensers.  Below are some of the results.  Once we got the paint mixture ratio sorted out, we got some galactic and atomic masterpieces.  Come see them hanging in the hall when you have a chance.   

A very special thanks to everyone who volunteered to create this beautiful exploratory opportunity for our students.

If you are interested in learning more about printmaking, Khan Academy has a nice collection of videos from the Museum of Modern Art posted here.  Moma also has this interactive that has some interesting info.  And while we are posting links, we watched this handy video a few times to learn about the tricky mechanics of writing dialogue.  Enjoy!