Create this project along with Lisa!
Instructional video will premiere on the Museum’s YouTube Channel on Saturday, August 16 at 10 am.
Project Overview
Have you ever tried printmaking? It is one of the oldest forms of art-making. There are many ways to create prints. Traditionally, an artist can make multiple copies of an image when printing with a printing plate, which can be printed over and over again.
In this video, we will be making monoprints, a type of print where you can only make one copy of your print, so each one is one-of-a-kind! Let’s discover how to use simple materials to create our own monoprints right at home.
Materials
- white paper
- spray bottle filled with water
- washable colored markers
- tin foil
- scissors
- sharpies or other permanent markers (optional)
Key Concepts
- printmaking
- monoprint
- pattern
- texture
Step-by-step Instructions
1. Cut out a piece of tin foil that roughly matches the size of your paper. (Tip: It’s a little easier to print if your piece of foil is a little smaller than your paper.)
2. Using water-based colored markers, draw a design on your tin foil. You can use different colors to create shapes and patterns. Make sure to fill the entire piece of foil with color. (Tip: Large blocks of color work better with this method than fine details.) Note: We do not recommend drawing numbers or letters because they will appear backwards when you print them! If you do want to write words or numbers, make sure to write them backwards, or save them for the final step when you draw on top of your print with marker!
3. Using your spray bottle, lightly spray water on the foil, from about an arm’s length away. Try to evenly cover the surface with water. Using 4-5 sprays should be enough. You want your tin foil to be damp, but not dripping wet.
4. Press a piece of white paper on top of your foil, trying your best to line it up corner to corner. If you don’t line it up quite right the first time, though, don’t try to move or shift it! If you move it, it might smudge your work.
5. Using the bottom of your fist, rub all over the top of your paper making sure to get the corners to push the ink from the foil onto your paper, creating your print! Make sure to be thorough and press all over so that as much ink as possible transfers to your paper! (Use pressure, but be careful to not rip your paper.)
6. When you have finished rubbing, gently lift up your paper, removing it from the foil, starting from one corner. Turn it over to see your finished print!
7. Let dry your paper dry thoroughly.
8. When your print is dry, if you like, you can draw details on top of your colorful print using a sharpie or other permanent marker! In the example here, the black line details were added in this step using black permanent marker.
9. You can reuse your tin foil as many times as you would like to make more and more prints. Each tin foil print is a one of a kind monoprint. Have lots of fun!
Share!
Please share photos of your finished works of art with us on social media and we will post some of our favorites here. And check back next week for our next project! #HeckscheratHome #MuseumfromHome
