“ART LP” Lesson Plan ARTE 301

Title of Lesson: Printmaking

Teacher: Karla Pantaleon
Medium/technique: Printmaking: Collagraph, Scratch foam, Stamping, Monoprinting
Date to be Taught: 2-20-18

Historical information about medium/technique:

From Web Art Academy: “In the beginning, before the printing press, printmaking was not considered an art
form, rather a medium of communication. It was not till the 18th century that art prints began to be
considered originals and not till the 19th that artists began to produce limited editions and to sign their prints
along with the technical information necessary to authenticate the work. Engraving goes back to cave art,
executed on stones, bones and cave walls. The duplication of engraved images goes back some 3,000 years to
the Sumerians who engraved designs on stone cylinder seals.” Woodcut technique of printing originated in
China and was used to print on textiles and later paper. Other techniques include etching, lithography,
engraving, and screen printing

Key concepts about medium/technique:

 Printmaking techniques that are accessible to anyone. Mimicking the techniques of antiquity which
use more complex processes that are made in print labs.
 These accessible printing techniques can be replicated in an everyday classroom.

Fine Arts Goals Met by the Objectives:

 26A- Students who meet the standard understand processes, traditional tools, and modern
technologies used in the arts.

 Select and use appropriate tools and materials to create in 2-D and 3-D
 Explain the processes used with specific tools

 27B- Students who meet the standard understand how the arts shape and reflect history, society
and everyday life.
 List artists who have made significant contributions and describe their ideas.

Vocabulary Acquisition:

 BRAYER: A small, hand-held rubber roller used to spread printing ink evenly on a surface before
printing.
 BAREN: A round, smooth pad, either flat or slightly convex, used to press paper against an inked
wood or linoleum block to lift an impression from the block.
 BLOCK: In printing, a piece of thick, flat material, with a design on its surface, used to print
repeated impressions of that design. Called a PLATE in etching and engraving (metal).
 PRINT: The actual picture the artist makes from a printmaking process.
 PRINTMAKING: The process of designing and producing prints using a printing block, woodcut,
etching, lithographic, or screen-printing.
 ARTIST’S PROOF: One of a small group of prints set aside from the edition for the artist’s use.
 EDITION: A set of identical prints, that are numbered and signed. This set of prints have been
pulled by or under the supervision of the artist and are authorized for distribution.
 GOUGE: In relief printing, a tool for clearing non-image areas from a block of wood or linoleum.
 BURIN: An engraver’s tool with a steel shaft and a sharp, oblique point at one end and a handle
at the other. A burin cuts into a metal plate by being pushed forward rather than being drawn
toward the artist.
 SCRIBE: Sharp pointed tool used to scratch the surface of a coated plate for etching.

1
 “ART LP” Lesson Plan ARTE 301

 RELIEF: Printmaking technique in which the image is printed from a raised surface, usually
produced by cutting away non-image material.
 INTAGLIO PRINTING: (an Italian term) the ink is deposited below the surface of the plate which
has been corroded, scratched, or incised, and the surface wiped clean; a damp paper is forced
into the surface in a press.
 PRINTING PRESS: A device used by a fine art printmaker to produce prints one copy at a time. It
applies pressure between a sheet of paper and an inked printing plate. Presses for intaglio
printing apply considerable pressure as they force the paper and plate between a roller and a flat
bed, thus squeezing the paper into the inked grooves of the plate.

Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural exemplars:

 Jose Guadalupe Posada: (1853 –1913) was a Mexican political printmaker and engraver whose
work has influenced many Latin American artists and cartoonists because of its satirical
acuteness and social engagement. He used skulls, calaveras, and bones to make political and
cultural critiques.
 Dürer: (1471 – 1528) was a painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance.
Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe when he was still in his twenties
due to his high-quality woodcut prints.
 Andy Warhol: was an American artist, director and producer who was a leading figure in the
visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic
expression, celebrity culture, and advertising that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of
media, including painting, silk-screening.

Jose Guadalupe Posada Dürer Andy Warhol

Artmaking Materials Needed:

All techniques require paper, pallet and paper towels

Monoprinting: Foam Printing:

 Rubber plates  Scratch Foam
 Acrylic paint  Color pencils/ Pencils
 Brayers  Paint/ ink
 Paint brushed or cotton swabs  Brayer
Stamping:  Clear Plexiglas
 Found objects Collagraph Printing:
o Paper  Foam pieces
o Foil  Foam board or cardboard
o Blocks  Paint/ink
o Yarn  Brayer
 Acrylic paint  Clear Plexiglas
 Paper plate

2
 “ART LP” Lesson Plan ARTE 301

Procedures:
 DISCUSSION: (5 minutes)
o Today we will talk about printmaking techniques. Worksheets will be read out loud.
o Have any of you done printmaking before? What techniques did you use? How do you like or
dislike any technique of printmaking? If so why?
o Worksheets will be read out loud (History and Techniques) [handout]
o Vocabulary of Printmaking [handout]
o [Student Name] Can you please pass out 1 sheet of paper to each classmate?
o Other materials will be in the back of the working area.

 DEMONSTRATIONS: (5 minutes)
o Fold one piece of paper in half, half again, so that you have four “boxes”. We will experiment
with one technique in each box. These are the techniques we will be using on this project:
 Collagraph: A Collagraph refers to a collage of materials glued on to a "printing
plate," which is a square of cardboard. When glue is dry, it is shellaced or varnished
so that it can be painted with acrylics. Paper is then pressed on to the surface to
produce a print.
 Scratch foam: An engraving technique that uses a easy to scratch foam plate. An
image is scratched on to the surface of the foam plate and coated with paint with a
brayer and then pressed on to paper.
 Stamping: This technique’s purpose is to impress a pattern on mark using engraved
manufactured stamps or any objects dipped in paint and impressed on paper.
 Monoprinting: is a form of printmaking that has lines or images that can only be
made once, unlike most printmaking, where there are multiple originals.

 DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (25 minutes)

o DIRECTIONS FOR STUDIO:
 Fold one piece of paper in half, half again, so that you have four “boxes”.
 Write your name on the back.
 Collagraph Print first to allow drying time.
 Create each method of printing in each section using techniques from Demo
 Use little bit of paint
 Keep your area clean by using paper towels
 CLEAN UP: (2 minutes)
o Make sure names are on papers
o Put all materials back to the back table
o Put papers in the back for drying.
 CLOSURE: (3minutes)
o What did you learn about printmaking today that you didn’t know before?
o What might be some possible disadvantages of working with these printing techniques?
o What would you like to make a print with next?
 ASSESSMENT: [separate from class time]
o Check according to simple rubric
 Did the student use the techniques of printmaking we covered today?
 Did student fill whole page, drawing largely?
 Were at least 2 of the 4 techniques used?