Minna Citron, recently featured in Minna Citron: Color and Shape, was an artist who lived in New York City and became known in the art scene in the 1930s. She was a painter and printmaker and raised two children on her own. A printmaker is an artist who makes pictures by creating designs on a surface, like wood, metal, or a special rubber block, and then pressing it into paper or fabric.
Citron created abstract art, a type of art that doesn’t show things exactly like they look in real life. Abstract artists use shapes, colors, and lines to express feelings or ideas. It’s like making a picture from your imagination!
You can use a piece of cardboard, craft foam, and tempera paint sticks to make your own abstract monoprint. Print your image on a card so that you can share it with a special friend or loved one.
Materials
- Cardboard cut to the size of your paper or smaller
- Paint sticks or liquid paint (tempera or acrylic)
- Craft foam stickers
- Paper for printing on
Step-by-step
1. Pick Your Foam Shapes
Choose some foam shapes and arrange them on a piece of cardboard. You can make a picture, a cool pattern, or just something fun from your imagination!
2. Stick the Shapes Down
When you like your design, peel the paper backing off the foam shapes to uncover the sticky side. Press the sticky foam shapes onto the cardboard to hold them in place.
Don’t have craft foam stickers? Experiment with things around the house! Materials like bubble wrap, cut-up Styrofoam pieces, or even crumpled paper make interesting textures when used in printmaking. Try glueing small pieces of household materials to your cardboard and see what kinds of marks you can make!
3. Paint the Foam
Cover your foam shapes with paint sticks or liquid paint. Remember that the parts with paint will make a mark on your paper, and the unpainted parts won’t leave a mark. Be sure every part you want to print has paint on it!
Note: if you are using something other than craft foam, liquid paint will work better.
4. Press Your Paper
Place a piece of paper on top of your design so it covers the painted side. Press down firmly with your hands for about 30 seconds, making sure to rub all over the paper to press it evenly.
Note: If you are using something other than craft foam and it sticks up a lot, it may be easier to press your block onto your paper like a big stamp.
5. See Your Print
Carefully peel the paper off to reveal your print! Look at the awesome design you made!
Optional: You can repeat steps 4- 6 with different colors to play with color layering and mixing!