Today's Class- Today's topic was printmaking, a variety of mediums that have in common that images are created from a fixed matrix, generally resulting in identical copies. That matrix can be carved relief (woodcut, linoleum), metal plates (etching, engraving), stone (lithography), all of which we saw examples of in slide and items I brought in. Silkscreen (a form of stencil supported by fabric) is also common, but I had no examples to show.
For today's exercise, we tried the collagraph, a more modern technique that can be used in many ways. Most common is building a collage on a flat surface and inking and printing it like a relief print, and that is what we started today. Flat pieces of cardboard were used as the base, and I had a supply of old fabric samples that could be cut up and glued to the base. The ink will later be applied in a way that accentuates the textures of each collaged item, and the resulting print will document those textures. Today was just the creation of the printing plates (students have the option to add more items at home), and I will bring in the tools and materials to print them in a few weeks.
I also collected rough drafts of the museum assignment from those who turned them in. They will be returned with comments next class.
How to make this up- The process to make the plate is actually fairly simple and can easily be done from home. Start with a piece of flat cardboard (the large panel from a cereal or cracker box will do- that is what we were using today), and you will create some kind of image on it by attaching bits of found materials. I had a variety of cloth scraps scavenged from the Interior Design program, but anything that is relatively thin will work, and I showed examples of plates from previous semesters that made use of yarn, plastics, even food items. White glue is probably the best adhesive for this project, and can even be used to coat delicate items to give them more strength in the printing process. Here are some student examples of printing plates and the resulting collagraph print.
Note that printing will be done with black relief ink, and that the color of the collaged objects will have no effect on the print. (color can be added after printing by painting or drawing, as in the last example above) Also, the prints are mirror images of the plate, which can make a difference if you plan to use letters or numbers in your image. (can be done, just make them backwards on the plate and they will print as normal)
Only a few rules at this point- the image must be something recognizable (accuracy to reality is not required, so for example, it can be how you picture such an item in your head) and your print must involve at least 8 different textures in the use of materials. Choice of subject is completely up to you.
Homework- The completed collagraph plates should be brought to class on November 16, 2018, and I will have the ink and tools to print them.
If you did not turn in a rough draft of your museum assignment today, you should do so (hard copy) as soon as possible. Although this paper is worth fewer points than the final version, each week it is late means a lower grade.
For next class 11/9/18- We will begin our first graded art project of the semester, our 2D final, which will be worked on two weeks in class, and then given more time to finish at home. Bring your 18"x24" pad, pastels, pencil and eraser. If you have any questions about the collagraph projects, bring those as well.
