The Art of Printmaking to Create Valentine’s Day Cards

Printmaking is my passion and is the perfect project for young children.

It is one area of art education that is applicable to all grade levels and which is adaptable in most classrooms. There is the excitement of creating a design by gluing down found materials, painting the surface, pressing paper to the surface, then finally pulling a print. Watching this process evolve from an idea to a masterpiece is magical. This month we created custom-made hand printed cards for our special Valentine’s Day.

I hope that you can try this project at home. It is also a great project for any time of the year and it’s always nice to have a collection of cards to give to friends and family!

Project: Collagraph Prints Using String, Bottle Tops, and Pipe Cleaners

Materials:

• cardboard 4”x 6”
• string
• bottle caps
• pipe cleaners
• straws
• toothpicks
• glue
• paper
• ink or paint
• paintbrushes
• small pieces of cardboard for printing
• cut 4” x 12” paper or card stock, folded in half

Steps:

1. Hand each child a piece of cardboard.

2. Have the students choose found materials — straws, pipe cleaners, and string.

3. Use glue to create a design and glue onto the cardboard.

4. Paint the surface, using one color or multiple colors. Try to apply paint lightly so that the textures appear on the print.

5. Press the paper onto the cardboard, press and rub lightly with the small cardboard pieces.

6. Pull the paper and see the magical print.

(If the cardboard has too much paint, the student will not see the textures from the collage. Reprint without re-applying paint)

Repeat these steps for each card.

Blog by Julie Goldstein – Master Artist & Art Studio Teacher

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If you enjoyed this post we invite you to read our blog, “Creative Art Project for a Rainy Day: Project #1 “Lines, Yarn, and Patterns.”

Carmel Mountain Preschool provides a safe and caring environment with hands-on, developmentally-appropriate programs for children. We also offer excellent care for elementary school-age students with our before and after school programs. CMP is located at 9510 Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego CA 92129, situated between 4S Ranch, Rancho Peñasquitos, Carmel Valley, and Santaluz For more information, please visit our website or contact us at 858.484.4877.