Art at Hosmer: Pop Art Printmaking, Part 2

Last month, 4th grade artists printed their Pop Art inspired plates. On the first day of printing, we learned about the printmaking process and the steps involved. Students pulled their first prints, using yellow ink on purple paper, to get a feel for how much ink is appropriate and how long to roll it out with the brayer.

We set up our tables with a bench hook and brayer to roll out ink. Everyone folded a piece of manila paper so that there was a clean side and a messy side. We rolled out the ink using the brayer, listening for a sticky sound that told us that the ink was evenly spread out and ready. We placed the plate on top of the messy side of our manila paper and rolled the ink on top of our plate carefully. We moved it to the clean side and pressed a piece of colored paper on top. Using our hands to gently rub, we then flipped the paper and over and pulled it apart from the plate. Ta da!

For their second printmaking class, students were able to choose their own color of ink and paper. Students made multiple copies with their plate, which the printmaking process allows us to do. On the third printing day, students created prints using three colors of ink in an ombre style, with a gradation of colors. Many students enjoyed this effect and their prints from this day.

After our printing classes, students selected our three best prints and mounted them on a black background. Since we had done printmaking for three classes, students had many prints to choose from! Students thought about which prints came out the most successfully, looking at the amount of ink, and also tried to display different color combinations. Students arranged them in an order before gluing them down.

After gluing down their three prints, students signed and titled their work. Many students asked each other for advice and also helped each other brainstorm creative titles! We did a gallery walk, so we could see everyone's finished work. Students noticed that there were some very popular subjects that came up often, such as Pokemon and Instagram, but everyone's prints looked different. Many students appreciated the thoughtful and clever titles that their friends were able to come up with, as well!

Students also did a turn and talk with a partner, using their fortune tellers, to share and reflect on their work. Students shared with each other what they were most proud of about their work, as well as something that was challenging and what they might have done differently or changed. Many students were proud of their color choices, the pop culture object they selected, and the way their prints came out, especially the ones using multiple colors. The most challenging part for many students was using the stylus to press into the foam to make their plate and rolling out the right amount of ink when printing.

Below are some examples of our finished Pop Art prints, inspired by Andy Warhol. As you can see, students did an amazing job mounting their own work! Some prints are also on display now in the glass case in the lobby.