Collagraph
Before printing, talk with the students about their printing plates. Their printing plates are now called collagraphs. A collagraph is when a collage of materials is glued down into a printing plate then printed. They have all made collagraphs!
Step 1: Inking the printing plate
- Spritz paper with a water bottle and dab dry with a towel.
- Students will roll ink (with a brayer) onto their plates, or paint
their plates with a paint brush
Step 2: Print the plate
Without a Press:
- Once the plate is inked, carefully lay a piece of paper over the printing plate
- Using a rolling pin or your hands, press the paper down onto the plate and evenly apply pressure as you move your hands or the rolling pin across the entire plate.Slowly peel the paper off the plate, while holding down the plate, to reveal the print. This is called “pulling a print.”
- Place the wet print on a drying rack or dry surface for at least two hours before handling.
With a Press:
- Place the paper and the plate between the wood boards of the press.
- Lay the felt blanket on top of the wood.
- Slowly push the plate through the press. Then carefully peel the paper off the plate to reveal the print. This is called “pulling a print.”
- Place the wet print on a drying rack or dry surface for at least two hours before handling.
Step 3: Multiples
Share with the students the idea of printing multiples. Now that they have a collagraph plate, they can ink and print multiple times, like a stamp. Printmakers often pull many prints from each plate they create. Show examples of prints that are numbered and signed. Also show examples of a collagraph plate that has been inked and printed many times. Collagraph plates can be works of art after using them to print.
Step 4: Closure
Once the prints are dry, each student, with help, can write their descriptive sentence on the bottom or back of the print. Or each student can present their print to the class and say the sentence aloud, while also identifying the shapes they used in their character. Finish this unit with the reading of a Dr. Seuss book of your choice!
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