Printmaking With Water Soluble Markers

Materials:
- Drawing Paper (I used 3- 9" x 6" per student)
- Styrofoam (also 9" x 6")
- Pencils
- Watersoluble Markers
- Trays
- Water
- Rolling Pins
- Wooden Spoons/ Printmaking Paddle? (I forget what they're called... eep)
- Newsprint
- 9" x 9" Construction Paper
- 3DO's
- Gluestick
- Tape


1. Draw a heart onto one sheet of 6" x 9" paper and divide into at least 7 sections. Draw a simple pattern or design in each section.

2. Tape a piece of styrofoam underneath design so that you can still see it.

This is the back.

3. Using a colored pencil, trace over design pencil lines pressing firmly into foam. The colored pencil is unnecessary, it just helps you see which lines you've already traced.

4. Remove paper. You should see a light indent. 

5. Using a dull pencil, trace into the foam one last time for good measure. It should feel pretty deep.

 

Meanwhile.... I have my printing stations prepped:

I had 3 for a class of 19 and it worked well. Each station has one tray of water, one rolling pin, one wooden spoon, and one stack of about 12 sheets of newsprint stapled together on one edge

6. When finished tracing, take two pieces of 6" x 9" paper and write your name on them. Place in a tray of water to soak.

7. Come back to your table and color in each section of your heart using water-soluble markers.

8. By the time you have finished coloring, your paper should be saturated enough to start printing. Bring colored foam to printing station that your paper is soaking in. Take one sheet out and place in between some sheets of the stapled newsprint. Depending on how many uses the newsprint have been through, it may or may not be damp. I told the students to just find a pretty dry page and it never was an issue. We used the same sets of newsprint for 2 classes.

With a rolling pin, and the saturated paper tucked inside the newsprint, roll out the excess water. 

9. Take out and place on top of colored foam (name side up- which is the back). Place back inside newsprint- a page closer to the top of the stack.

10. Using a wooden spoon or a printmaking paddle, rub all over newsprint firmly. Some kids didn't listen/forgot and used the rolling pin. In the examples below, you'll see the difference with the ink transfer. You can apply much more pressure using a smaller surface like the back of a wooden spoon, versus the entire length of a rolling pin. 

Pull print.

11. Do steps 8-10 again with second sheet of paper. This will be a ghost print. Students should have by now one piece of foam, one print, and one ghost print.

12. I had larger pieces of newsprint sitting next to the drying rack for students to place their two prints on and slide onto a drying rack shelf. 

13. Do-do-do.... wait to dry.

14. Cut out ghost print as one solid heart and glue onto center of 9" x 9" construction paper. 

15. Place a 3DO in the center of each section. Some sections I had students double up, just to give it some depth.

16. Cut actual print into pieces. 

17. Match pieces on top of 3DO's.

These 2 used a rolling pin to transfer ink:

These 4 used a wooden spoon:

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