Learning In and Through the Process of Print Making.
In the workshop:
We begun the process of creating art based on our evocative object. The overall objective was to create a print.
To begin with we had to create a sketch of our evocative object or a part of it. I choose to sketch the front cover of my book as it had a lot of detail and was also interesting to look at. However this amount of detail actually proved difficult to sketch and also time consuming which meant I was not able to complete the print making process.
To continue with the process we had to transfer our drawing to the front of a rubber tile. To do this we covered the back of our sketch with charcoal and placed it over the rubber tile before re going over the sketch we had previously completed. By doing this we left an outline of our drawing on the rubber tile preparing us for the next steps.
The next step was to use a sharp gouging tool to gouge out the picture that we had transferred to our rubber tile. By doing this when we covered the tile with ink and pressed it onto a new sheet of paper the gouged out parts would remain white and the rest would be black showing the image we created of our evocative object.
In education:
“Printmaking is a great way for pupils of all ages to experiment and explore visual art.
It can be applied throughout the key stages, adapted to suit different levels of ability and can encompass almost any theme or curriculum area, ” (Yorkshire Sculpture Park, n.d). Learning opportunities for printmaking include: problem solving, teamwork, communication, listening and being critical. The art skills being developed are drawing, manipulating materials, and creating a two dimensional artwork. Due to the nature of printmaking pupils will naturally use and develop their fine motor skills. From drawing, carving and pulling ink. They will develop an ability to manipulate materials for a purpose.
Print making is accessible to all as activities can be manipulated to suit a number of abilities/ capabilities. This allows all pupils to be involved and engage in the creative process detailed by Csikszentmihalyi (2013). This process allows pupils to engage with the higher order thinking skills detailed in Blooms Taxonomy (Bloom, 1995). Engaging in this process is beneficial for the pupils to feel confident and secure in their own creativity and work.
Obviously, some modifying needs to be done to take what we did to a level suitable for primary aged children as some of the tools that we are able to use would not be suitable or safe for the majority of pupils at primary age. The relevant changes to make are at the discretion of the class teacher who knows what their class can or cannot be trusted with.
References
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2013) Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: Harper-Collins.
