Relief Prints & Monoprints

The 6th grade class at Lincoln Middle School experimented with different types of printmaking. They learned that there are many different ways to make prints. They learned about the unique characteristics that make printmaking unlike any other art media. They also learned that prints don't always turn our like you were planning - and that's ok!

For their first printmaking experience, students created a "relief plate" using various collage items - beads, yarn, raffia, foam, etc. These objects were glued to a piece of cardboard and then covered in varnish. Once the plates were dry, an even layer of ink was rolled across the plate, and the highest points on the plate catch the ink. Then, a piece of paper is laid on top of the plate, the students rub on the back of the paper, and the ink transfers to the paper.

Relief Plates

Relief Prints

For their second printmaking experience, the students created "monoprints". I wanted the students to create landscapes. First, the students drew their own landscape on 1/2 a sheet of an 8.5"x 11" piece of paper. They placed that drawing under a piece of clear plastic. Then, they painted in between or on top of those lines that they could see with tempra paint. Next, the students placed a piece of paper on top of the painting, and it transfers to the paper. The trick for making these is to paint quickly before the paint dries!