collaboration print

Aluminum foil made an ascetically pleasing print on its own but in collaboration, it almost completely overpowered the form underneath. Voiding the effect in a collaboration defeats the purpose. In future collaborations, aluminum foil would not be an option. However, the foil on its own made for many different forms and ridges for ink to adhere to. Experimentation with foil on botanical subjects would be an avenue to pursue in botanical art. The plant could perhaps be flattened onto the foil, then printed. Whether or not, this could become a possible future exploration for my classes deserves some investigation.

first print

This simple line drawing print was quite effective for me in working with ink and line quality. The print is solely concerned with the beauty of line as composition. How the ink changed the original drawing made the marks come alive and take on an energetic quality. From this print, the beauty of line was carried into the next prints. In my teaching of botanical painting, frottage can become an excellent tool for use in the detail of the veins in a leaf and similar fine structural details. Printmaking would become an essential part of a botanical program.

Frottage Continued & Day 2: Collograph Monoprints

Frottage, Day 1

Andrea, Object Image, Touch

My goodness what a great process! This is the favorite so far. The steps to create this image were the success. I have written down the steps and how to adapt the process for my students. Press? Ink? Not sure yet...

Sense of Touch: Texture Collagraphs

I have had little experience with printmaking techniques. Working together with my classmates in the printmaking processes and the creation of art has helped me to learn so much. Bob's direction to make non-representational art in our projects has showed me that there are more artistic options than I thought. I can be more flexible with my own art and that, in turn, will allow me to push my students in directions beyond which they thought they could go.

Andrea, Sight

Drawing a quick sketch while walking on sideways on a line was a quick way to capture some wonderful line movement. After completing the first exercise and seeing the active results, I was anxious to complete more. I will be using this for my artwork on a regular basis.

This exercise is also doable in the high school art room. Any media can be used with this thinking process. Students can do the sketches and translate this other artworks. The printing process can be adapted to the studio classroom. Ex., there may not be a press available, and oil based inks might not work, however the technique could be experimented with other materials. Such as water-based inks using spoons to burnish the image onto the papers. The paper surface can be manipulated before transferring the print (collage of thin textures). My advanced classes will be experimenting with this in the fall. I will post the results.

Frottage

I am sure my students could do frottage (maybe not with the expensive Yupo paper and mylar), but I don't know how the logistics would work in a classroom full of 35 middle schoolers. I am wondering if I could set up temporary ink blocks to use throughout the day and then clean once at the end of last period. I'm thinking that plastic wrap would work to keep the ink fresh between classes. Any suggestions?

Sense of Sight Exercises

This exercise would be a great way to get started in an art course at the first of the year. I loved the freedom to draw quickly and keep moving while we drew. High school students would like it also, and it would help them to loosen up their expectations of what they were required to do in a drawing/studio art class. The frottage we used to make the prints from our drawings was a new technique for me. Given the right space, it could be taught to high school students as well.

Bob has really helped me to open up creatively; instead of being so concerned about realistic representation or even composition, he has given me the freedom to let my art make itself. He continues to recommend the process of using the work itself as a work surface, which in turn creates marks and literally the art is forming as a result of me working on it. It is fabulous! I can't wait to get back into my classroom and foster an environment of free creation and no fear of failure. Yes, there are certainly some answers that are better than others, and this class has not been a cake walk by any means. Each work was labor intensive and full of decisions, but they were quick, from-the-gut decisions.

collagraph

Today's printshop experience was phenomenal! learning how to set up, run the show and cleanup in an efficient intelligent manner was extremely useful, surely something I could see doing with my students if I had access to a press. The idea of collaboration with each other was amazing in practice. I am glad Bob made us do it because I would probably not have been too inclined to break out of my my own little world and do it if we didn't have too. The collaborative prints told me where to go with the inking of my next plate. In the end the process of pulling multiples that vary and change with each pull made for an exciting day full of surprises and teaching moments.

Sense of Sound, Singing Bowls

Singing Bowl (Sound) Monoprint

Mike, Juliet and Laurie

Kim and Natalie

I loved this exercise. What a great way to bring everyone together and to begin a morning's work. I think this would be a great way to integrate a lesson on the arts of Tibet or to bring music into an art lesson. I'm not sure how it would go over with my high school students. It could be very interesting for a group who knew each other well enough. I might need a little more practice before doing an effective demonstration, however. What a treat.

Thursday - Touch

I have used this exercise with young students before to help them understand texture. They have to come up with a list of texture words to describe the object and then draw it. You don't worry about the representation of the object, just how it feels to you. All of the work we have done this week has such a sense of freedom to it. It works so well to capture the essence of what we are sensing.