Printmaking and the Visual Language – Lesson 3: Relief

Printmaking

Your Name: Lindsey Summers

Name of Unit: Printmaking and the Visual Language

Subject Area: Art Grade Level: 9-12

Instruction time: 200 minutes – four 50-minute sessions

Lesson Summary Description

This lesson follows the mark making activity. Students will learn the basics of printmaking history as well as the printmaking process. Students will apply what they learned about the elements and principles of design as well as their mark making techniques into a composition that will be carved and inked into a relief print.

Standard(s) Art 1 curriculum (for Iowa): Use two-dimensional media, techniques, tools, and processes Demonstrate various drawing techniques in 2D media Use elements of art Use principles of design Create works of art based on personal experience, observation, and creative thought Demonstrate that works for art can be rendered realistically, symbolically, or abstractly Discuss works of art and/or artists throughout history and cultures

Enduring Understandings/Essential Question(s) The elements and principles of design are the foundation for how we create and critique art. Printmakers use mark making to communicate their ideas. How do we communicate the visual language? What are the origins of printmaking?

Objective(s) By the end of this lesson, students will be able to apply a 2D drawing to relief woodcarving print, by using the appropriate woodcarving tools and representing their drawing on the woodblock in at least two of the mark-making methods. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to recall the steps of the printmaking process in its correct order with 90% accuracy.

Lesson Plan Assignment

Students will recognize the origins of the printmaking process by identifying at least two noteworthy printmaking advancements (from the lesson power point) on the exam at the end of the unit. By the end of the lesson, students will define the printmaking terms with 70% accuracy or higher on a review quiz.

Differentiation For students who need additional support: It may be optional for the students to “carve” into a piece of foam sheet with a pencil or pen to be inked if carving into wood is too difficult of a process or if they are not understanding proper use of the carving tools. (Differentiate process). For students who struggle with content, they may be given the option to only identify one noteworthy printmaking advancement (from the lesson power point) on the exam at the end of the unit. They may also be given a word bank for the names of the printmaking tools and/or printmaking process steps on the quiz at the end of the lesson (Differentiate content). For students who need more of a challenge: More advanced students (or students who finish early) may have the option of experimenting with color in their prints, by either printing with a color instead of black, or printing the whole paper a color (roll colored ink directly on paper or do a design) and then doing a second inking onto their woodblock to go on top of the first inking (this is a good pre-activity for the future linoleum project within this unit). (Differentiate process and content).

Resources & Materials Resources for the presentation portion of the class include the relief-printing power point, students will need a pencil/pen and notebook to take notes. Resources for the project include wood blocks, cut into 8” x 10” (MDF wood), white paper scaled down to 8 x 10” (or larger if they would like a margin for their print), printmaking inks (black, and any additional assorted colors for differentiation option), 10 large Yankee Candle (or generic) lids (or any additional tokens), brayers/rollers, black tempera paint, paper towel, woodcut carving tools (variety of blades, should be enough for each student to have two available to them), pen/pencils and student’s sketchbooks.

Student Assessment(s) Students will be assessed on their turned in print (black and white version) that there is a composition utilizing two different forms of mark-making and touching at least 3 sides of the frame, and unless the student is told otherwise, this composition should be of their drawn sketch from the mark-making project. Students should turn in their sketch along with the final print. The teacher should also be informally assessing the students’ process, that they are appropriately using the printmaking carving tools and following the correct print process. Additionally, the

Lesson Plan Assignment

teacher should give a short quiz at the end of the lesson assessing printmaking terms (brayer, token, relief, etc.) with 70% or higher accuracy, as well as the steps of the printmaking process to 90% or higher accuracy. This quiz should also have a portion where students write down at least two noteworthy printmaking advancements from the classroom power point presentation (see included quiz sheet). There will also be an informal activity before the quiz where students will be given the steps of the printmaking process and have to assemble in the correct order, this serves more as a temperature check for the teacher and practice for the students in preparation for the quiz.

Instructional strategies/methods

The first portion of the class will be direct instruction from the power point and students will take notes. Students will also witness teacher modeling of the printmaking process. During work time, students will receive indirect instructions through observation of their work and feedback. Some group work will occur also when students practice learning the printmaking process and students will be able to utilize a more-knowledgeable peer (or ask the teacher directly) always if they have questions.

Detailed Lesson Steps/Sequence 1. Day 1: Present relief print power point, students take notes (specifically stress info that

will be on the quiz). 2. Model printmaking carving process for students. Students should take notes on this for

quiz. Take scrap MDF, paint one side black with tempera paint and let dry. Briefly show how variety of our mark-making techniques can be made using carving tools (cross-hatching, stippling, etc.). Students may want to sketch their composition onto the paint with a pencil before beginning carving. Demonstrate inking the relief print using the brayer, putting paper onto the woodblock, using the token to rub the paper, and pulling the paper slowly off the woodblock – check corner first to see if ink transfers before pulling off the whole paper, may need to re-rub (be sure to define printmaking terminology – woodblock, token, relief print, brayer – and have students take notes during process).

3. Day 2: Brief temperature check activity – hand out sheets with the 9 different steps of the relief printmaking process written on them (see quiz for reference) to 9 different students, have the students get in the correct order to show they know the process. Repeat if necessary (try to have all students participate).

4. After process seems understood, students should take out their sketches from the mark-making project. Students each collect MDF woodblocks, repeat modeled process (paint woodblock with black tempera, carve composition, ink with brayer, place paper on woodblock, rub with token, pull paper off woodblock and put onto drying rack. Woodblocks should be cleaned (if needed) and stored in student cubbies. The carving and printing process will take multiple days (days 2-4), students should pick up where they left off at the beginning of the following class periods, but keeping the deadline in mind.

5. Monitor student work, give feedback to the process. 6. Day 3: optional teacher modeling of two-color piece (may be done with a small group

that is ahead, or with whole class). Demonstrate doing different color options for the

Lesson Plan Assignment

under-layer, and then inking over it. Kids continue working on black and white relief print or experimenting with color printing.

7. Day 4: finish printing black and white pieces that remain. Short quiz on printmaking (see attached quiz sheet). Any additional time should be spent cleaning brayers and woodblocks.

Reflection The differentiation in this lesson worked wonderfully to have all students finish on the same level; it also provided a great transition into the next lesson of color reduction printing. If brayers, ink trays, or tokens are limited, a good solution is to have the students work in partners (if they are capable of picking their own partners, or need to be assigned a partner instead). Another additional method is to have students create a decorative mat for their favorite print to be matted on – this allows some of the class to be working on their mat if they are waiting for printing tools that the other students are using. It was also helpful to demonstrate rolling out a bead of ink, and talking about what properly inked trays, as well as a properly inked stamp look like so that there is less paper wasted from under-inked prints. Student work turned out to be very impressive and many students got the opportunity to explore multiple color combinations, which enhanced the communication of their image.