« Back to Blog

2 Printmaking Projects You Can Do at Home

While the Museum may be closed, art and creativity are as essential as ever! Here’s two easy printmaking projects you can do at home with simple household materials and a little paint, inspired by the spotlight exhibition Prints by Women: Selected Works from the Georgia Museum of Art. Give these methods a try and let us know how they turn out – share using #KIDSRockwell and #MuseumFromHome! 

Suggested for ages 5+ with supervision

Collograph Printmaking with Cardboard

Play with the art of arranging and relief printing! Relief printing is a print from the raised areas of a design. To create a collograph print, you’ll arrange materials on a sturdy surface, glue them down and apply paint. Many of the artworks in Prints By Women feature relief printmaking techniques. This project produces a similar result but doesn’t require any carving. Collograph printmaking is a great at-home project because you’ll use things you already have! When you make your arrangement, you don’t have to make it look like anything in real life. Practice symmetry (the same on both sides) and asymmetry (not the same) with your design!

Collograph Printmaking with Cardboard – Printable PDF

Materials:

• Flat pieces of cardboard
• Yarn, twine, thick ribbon
• Extra cardboard for cutting out shapes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Wide paintbrush
• Tempera (washable) or acrylic paint
• White paper

Follow these steps:

1. Start by cutting shapes out of cardboard. Adults or older children will need to help younger children with this step. Keep your shapes simple!
2. Arrange your cardboard shapes and your yarn, twine and/or ribbon on your flat piece of cardboard. You don’t have to make your design look like anything in real life.
3. Once you’re happy with your design, glue it down onto your flat cardboard. Let dry.
4. Once ready, choose paint colors and get paint all over the raised parts.
5. The cardboard will absorb the paint, so while you do not want your paint to be too thick, you will need to use a lot.
6. Carefully place your paper on top.
7. Flip it over so the paper is on the table and press all over. Peel the paper off. Repeat!

Aluminum Foil Monoprints

Play with color, line and space! Monoprints are one-of-a-kind, creative creations. They are similar to lithography, a style of printmaking that allows artists to draw. You’ll use a smooth surface and a Q-Tip or other small tool to create a unique design. Lithography and foil monoprints both allow the artist to create expressive and imaginative prints. Aluminum foil monoprints is a great at-home project because you’ll use things you already have around the house.

Aluminum Foil Monoprints – Printable PDF

Materials:

• Aluminum foil
• Small paper or plastic plate
• Medium to wide paintbrush
• Medium sized paintbrush and/or Q-Tips
• Tempera (washable) or acrylic paint
• White paper

Follow these steps:

1. Cover your work surface with newspaper or craft paper to protect it from paint.
2. Select the colors you’d like to use to create your monoprint. Squeeze a small amount of each color onto your plate for a palette.
3. Use the medium to wide paintbrush to brush the colors onto your foil. Important! Make sure your layer of paint is THIN. Your prints won’t turn out well if your paint is thick.
4. Once your foil is covered in a thin layer of paint, use the stick end of your medium paintbrush and/or Q-Tips to draw in the paint. You can draw things, or just play with line and see what happens!
5. Once you’re happy with your design, carefully place your paper on top.
6. Flip it over so the paper is on the table and press all over. Peel the paper off.
7. You can repeat with the same colors and different lines, or start over with new colors!

Give these methods a try and let us know how they turn out – share using #KIDSRockwell and #MuseumFromHome! 

« Back to Blog