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Have you ever tried printmaking with your kids? If you not, it’s a wonderful way for children to create many versions of the same drawing. Printmaking is a process of etching or carving into another material to create a stamp. The stamp is then pressed into a sheet of paper. In this project, we will use a styrofoam plate to carve a drawing, apply ink, and then stamp the plate onto as many sheets of paper as the children would like. This kindergarten art, easy printmaking portrait project is fun for both kids and adults.
Materials
Speedball Ink or Acrylic Paint
Brayer or a Foam Roller
Pencil
Mirror
Printmaking Portraits | Process
First, take a styrofoam plate and cut out the middle. This will make a nice flat surface for children to work with. Next, have the children look at themselves in a mirror. Talk about where their facial features, such as, eyes, nose, ears, eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, etc. Encourage the children to find features that make them feel unique and to draw it onto the styrofoam.
Next, have the children press deeply or carve into the styrofoam. The deeper the lines, the stronger the image will print.
Squeeze a quarter size amount of ink onto a tray and have the children roll out the ink. Encourage them to roll it side to side and up and down so the ink is evenly spread onto the brayer or roller.
Have the children generously roll ink onto the styrofoam. Make sure any white spots are filled in. Press the styrofoam onto a piece of construction paper, flip the paper over and roll the back with a clean brayer or the back of a wooden spoon. This step will ensure the image is pressed down and transferred well.
Finally, encourage the kids to make multiple prints of their work. Hang them up together on a wall to make a new colorful masterpiece. If you enjoyed this project, you’ll like:
40 + Printmaking Ideas for Kids, The Artful Parent
16 Easy Printmaking Ideas for Kids, Tinkerlab
25 So Cool Printmaking Ideas, Craftwhack