Printmaking- Collagraphs or Collage Prints

Lesson Plan Title: An Introduction to Complex Printmaking Techniques

Media/Activity: Collagraphs- Prints from a Collection of ‘Stuff’

Grade: 11th

Number of Sessions: 2 90 minute sessions

Rationale: Through a series of lessons, students will be taught about a variety of printmaking techniques and media. By learning about these techniques, students will gain an appreciation of printmaking as an aesthetic, cultural and historical artistic process.

Concept Statements:
Printmaking is an important historical art process.
A Collagraph is a printing block made up of a collection of objects glued together to form a picture to print from.
The Collagraph is a print created from building the original from a collection of objects.
Designing a print requires thinking about the whole artwork.
Collagraphs require collecting and planning towards a final product.

Standards: (National)
1-2 Students take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media and techniques.
3-2 Students use subjects, themes and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of context, values and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
4-1 Students know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various cultures and histories.
(QCC/GA)
5-3 Creates artwork in the field of collagraph printmaking.
5-13 Recognizes how artists used subject matter, including symbols and ideas, to communicate a message.

Objective: Students Will:
Comprehend the relevant historical and society meaning, surrounding the printmaking and collagraphs.
Plan and sketch an idea for their print, using art elements and principles of design.
Learn a unique printmaking technique and demonstrate its use.
Produce a print from the Collagraph they have designed.
Practice and use safe printmaking methods.

Resources: The Complete Printmaker by John Ross.

Time: 90 min. per session. 1min. Focus, 5 min. Talk, 4 min. Demo, 1 min. Critique review, 28 min. Work period, 5 min. Clean up, 1 min. Line-up with Assessment

Materials:
Teacher- computer, screen, exemplar work. (for demo: paper, inks, brayers, pencils, sketch paper, glue, random items for print build).
Student- paper, inks, brayers, pencils, sketch paper, glue, random items for print build

Vocabulary: Collagraph- a print process that uses a block constructed of objects to form a picture for printing. The word combines collage and graphic.
Intaglio- A print that uses the depressed part of the print block for the print.
Relief- A print that uses the raised part of the print block for the print.
Prerequisite vocabulary: Composition- The overall design of a work of art.
Printmaking- a technique of making art, that can be mass produced, that involves transferring an image from a print block to another surface, usually paper.
Collage- A form of art, that uses a collection of any mixed media, objects and papers.


Procedures: (day 1)
Introduction- Have the lights on low with today’s safety slides cycling on screen.

Quick review the four methods of printmaking ‘builds’. Discuss today’s specific method, ‘collagraph’.
Discussion points include-
Definition of collagraph.
Reminder of the history of printmaking and how collagraphs fit into that.
Artists Clare Romano, John Ross and Edward Stasack.
Collagraphs can be designed for intaglio or relief printing.

Demonstrate art procedure.
Make a note of what critical aspects are important to the work, while explaining the demo. Tools and materials in baskets at center of table, for drawing.
Explain assignment, which is to create a collagraph with a compositional focus on two elements and principles. This will be a one color print.
Send students back to desks to begin. Have students look at ‘items’ for collagraphs and make sketches of their ideas. They may begin to build their print blocks.

(day 2) Demonstrate art procedure.
Give students their print block and sketchbooks. Have students finish building their print blocks. When done, they may go, in pairs, to spray area and spray their blocks to seal them. Remind students of safety during printing demo. Demonstrate use of inks, brayers and press. In teams, they may use the press to create prints.
Have a still life set up for sketching during downtime.

Clean-up and Closure: Clean up 5 mins.