Equipped with new printmaking inks and tools, third and fifth graders in Kendall Fousek’s art classes expressed their creativity and crafted unique images. As part of their lessons, they explored the printmaking medium and learned how to enhance their artworks with texture and color.

“Printmaking is an immersive, expressive medium which allows the individual to make creative decisions,” Fousek said. “At the beginning stage, the medium is not predictable, so the artist has to work with flexibility and an openness to the possibilities. Our students embraced printmaking, shared wonderful discoveries, and took pride in their artwork.”

Throughout the experience, Fousek said the students worked cohesively as a group to share materials and ideas and showed responsibility in the care of the tools and materials. 

At the beginning of the lessons, they used brayers and stamping tools to explore the elements of art and create additive monoprints. They focused on familiarizing themselves with the tools and materials to gain a greater intuitive understanding of printing. Then, they were challenged to use different tools and paper to create a new print. During their next lessons, the students explored subtractive printmaking, using black ink only while focusing on the elements of line and value. They created their prints by inking a printing plate and then removing the ink to draw an image, then printing onto paper that image from the printing plate. 

Thanks to a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation, the students had an abundance of printmaking inks and brayers, as well as new printmaking tools, such as patterned rollers, stamps, sponge pattern rollers, combs, sponges and barrens.

Article written by Plamena Quintavalla.

Photo courtesy of the Bronxville School Foundation.