Art Explorers - Block Printing

I've been wanting to do a project like this for a while, and now was the perfect time. 

PROGRAM BASICS

• For children ages 6 through 12 yrs
• Must register prior to program due to limited space. If space allows, children can walk in day off. 
• 1 hour in length

THEME 
Block Printing

PROJECT EXAMPLE 

Top is the foam plate and the bottom is a print

INTRODUCTION 
I looked to children's book authors and illustrators like Eric Rohmann and Erin Stead for connection to literacy. Eric Rohmann's My Friend Rabbit has always stuck with me since the first time I read it in library school, and such a great example of block printing. But for Erin Stead fans, so is A Sick Day for Amos McGee. I explained to the young artists what block printing is and how it can be done with various tools and materials, such as wood block, linoleum blocks and ink. To create a work of art artists use the blocks to create layers of different lines and colors. One girl knew quite a bit about block printing because she had the opportunity to try it in school. They were actually allowed to use a real carving tool. I wasn't. Instead we used foam print plates and acrylic paint instead of ink.

HOW TO MAKE IT?
Supplies 

• Scratch-Foam Board Printing Plates - NASCO (link) or styrofoam plates from the grocery store
• Pencils - tips dull or a thin paint brush (use the handle tip) 
• Multi-Media art paper 
• Acrylic Paint  
• 1 - 2 box lid (like copy paper box lid) lined with aluminum foil 
• Brayer 
• Paper towels

HOW DID IT GO?
Another great success!!! Since it was December I made my prints look like evergreen trees and a snowman. Many of the children did something similar, such as a winter scene or snowflakes. They used a dull tipped pencil or a the end of a watercolor paint brush to create their design because they wouldn't puncture the foam. Once they had a design they came up my paint table, where I was. They were allowed to pick three colors of paint that we would layer onto the their plate by using a brayer. I would pour one color into the box lid and use the brayer, then add another color, then another color. I would show the children how the brayer work then would have them help me. Then we would lay the plate on the paper and apply pressure. We could get up to one or two prints from the paint. The children thought this was the coolest thing. The paint worked out well instead of ink because it was washable and less expensive.

I can't wait to do this one again!