Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Printing

300 kids.... 3 prints each... whew I am tired!

I love doing a linoleum project with my 6th graders every year... and they love it also. This year we did architecture (from last year) again.  They start by drawing their image out on a 4x6 paper.  Then we transfer it to the safety-kut block and they then carve the images.  This year I gave them 3 "colored" examples to choose from.
Yellow was carving just on the pencil lines = pretty simple.  Orange was carving on the pencil lines plus removing the sky and adding grass details = not too hard.  Red was carving away everything BUT the pencil lines = challenging.

I will do this again as the kids were often talking about, "I'm doing yellow." or "I started with yellow but decided to do orange."  It was also easy for me to ask them, "are you yellow or red?

I have 2 printing stations set up and they each print 3 copies of their image.  They then let them dry on the "back table."
drying on the drying rack... think 100+ pieces every day.
taking them off the drying rack and stacking them.
I store the dried prints together by day...
The week after they print they have to trim and finish their images.  They must measure 1/4 of inch around the sides and top and 1/2 inch on the bottom.  On the bottom they put their title, edition number and signature.  They will turn in their 3 prints and I will grade the printing. They are graded on the quality and consistency of their printing.  They will then take 2 home (I can't keep 900 pieces of art).  I then go back and grade the one print I kept for how well they finished it and their overall design.

  Check out our artsonia site for more of the finished images...

3 comments:

  1. I love the color codes for what print they are working on. When you have time, can you explain what printing block you used? I'm also wondering if you used the same printing block for all three prints? While I'm at it, what kind of paper did you use?

    Nic Hahn
    MiniMatssie.blogpsot.com
    Nicholechahn@yahoo.com

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    1. I use Nasco's safety-kut. I order the big sheets and then cut them down to 4x6 pieces. (It comes to a price of $1.00+ per student BUT they can carve on both sides so they could share or each student could do 2 projects... plus if you have never ordered from Nasco they will "bid" out your order, saving about 10%)I used the same block for all three prints. I just carved the yellow and printed; carved more and did the orange. Transferred the image to the back and did the Red. The kids are printing onto old copy paper. We switched copies last year and the art room was "blessed" with CASES of old copy paper that can't be used on the new machines. I cut them in half and away they went. To help get good prints I have the kids "breathe" onto the inked blocks (think about how you blow on windows in the winter)

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