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PROJECT: SIMPLE RELIEF PRINTS TEACHER:
ROSS JAHNKE NSU FACULTY E-MAIL: art-rfj@nicholls.edu |
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children who produced these prints are 4 and 7 years old. Together we made
six two-color prints in about 45 minutes. I have tried three-color prints
with other children of the same age and gotten similar quality results.
I use a small etching press which speeds things up, but the wooden spoon
works just as well. |
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Printmaking - Simple Relief Prints using Styrofoam Plates Traditional relief prints are made with a linoleum or wood matrix which has been carved away in shallow relief using sharp gauges and chisels. These methods are often to dangerous for young people however. Speedball company produces a material called SafetyCut, which is a rubber (much like an eraser) that cuts very easily with gouges however sharp tools are still necessary and the material is expensive. There are ways to create true relief prints with safe, inexpensive or even FREE materials. |
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Materials: Water based block printing
inks Brayer Wooden spoon Scissors Inking slab (glass or plexiglass sheet)
Student Materials: Styrofoam meat trays Pencil, pen, keys etc. Paper
Procedures 1. Cut away the lip of the meat tray with the scissors leaving only the flat center of the tray. Avoid getting greasy finger prints on the foam as they resist the ink. 2. Using a pencil, pen and/or keys to press an image into the surface of the foam. It is important to note that wherever the foam is depressed by the tools the image will be white. The areas left untouched will receive ink and will print the color. |
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3. Roll ink out on an inking slab or tray. Once the ink is thinly and evenly distributed on the brayer, roll ink onto the Styrofoam plate.4. Place your paper over the inked plate and rub with medium pressure using the back of your wooden spoon. Be careful to hold the paper firmly in place so that it does not slide on the plate. When done, pull away the paper to reveal the print. Notes The plate is fragile so repeated use will wear it out. Five to ten prints is the maximum. By printing a color, cleaning and redrawing on the plate and reprinting in a new color a reduction print can be achieved. |
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After the first color is printed, the students can be told to "draw" into the foam some more to "color in" areas, without any technical explanation about reduction printing. After the second color is printed they begin to see what's happening and its easier to explain. Grown-ups should help with color registration until the children get the hang of it. Unevenness in the ink on the block, which would be a "no-no" in my college course, can actually be a good thing in these prints. We used Demco water-based block printing inks for the works shown, but Speedball inks work just as well. |
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Tips 1. I think a brayer is essential for any relief printing project because detail gets lost if ink is applied with a brush. 6" Speedball brayers cost less than $10 and will last for many years. 2. Ink should be rolled out on a plate glass or plexiglas slab. Both are durable and easy to clean. Plexiglass is also cheap and will last for years. 3. Old phone books are placed under the block when it is being inked. When a page gets dirty it is torn out of the book. 4. A variation on this project is to cut forms out of the foam (or use adhesive backed foam) and glue it to cardboard with white glue. The foam areas, being higher, receive the ink. This can be done in multiple colors as an additive print. |