Printmaking on a Dime Series, Part I: Trace Monotypes

Last year, I worked at a middle school with an amazing atmosphere of warmth and positivity where I had the short straw art teacher job that came with a tiny classroom and 3 computer and advisory classes. In fact, in the 3 classes where I did get to teach some art, it was only a portion of a 3 subject wheel rotation with 6th graders. I covered all of the curriculum I needed to in art, advisory & computers by the end of April though. So, I decided to devote the last month of the school year to teaching some fun and easy printmaking to round out the year. Even though I was 8 months pregnant, and it meant dealing with 30 kids per class making a happy mess in a tiny space...with minimal supplies. 

I made it work.

Here's how...

Supplies: 

• Cookie Sheets (at least 4)
• Brayers (at least 4)
• Water Soluble Block Printing Ink
• Large Construction Paper
• Lots of Plain Printing Paper (stolen periodically from teacher workroom)
• Lots of Cheap Ballpoint Pens
• Masking Tape
• Newspaper
• Several Old "Throwaway" Paperback Books (I have a ton from the $1 bin at Half Price Books I keep handy--more on that later!)

Steps:

1. (Optional) Introduce students to a Brief History of Printmaking. I have a great powerpoint slideshow that I put together a couple of years ago that I'd be happy to email to anyone who requests it. Or I can try to figure out how to attach it to the blog later... Even though Trace Monotype is a painfully easy process, it's still nice for students (especially young students) to know a bit about all of the various ways Printmaking has influenced art and how some of the many methods of Printmaking work. Otherwise, it's easy for kids to sometimes operate under the misconception that the way they learn something is the ONLY way to do it. 
2. Prepare sketches/drawings for prints. (Note: Remember to remind students that their print will be the mirror image of their print constantly!) Okay, so I am really big on realistic/technical drawing skills and I HATE tracing with a passion. Even when kids just want to use something round in the room to trace a circle, I flip my lid and insist on helping them draw a circle on their own. I just think tracing has no place in an art class, and students will learn so much more from practicing actual drawing skills AND have more pride in the finished product in the end regardless of the fact that a traced image might have looked "better." So, I made a big fuss about explaining that the trace in Trace Monotype refers to the process of tracing your own drawing to make the print. It does not mean you should copy or trace from a photo or someone else's artwork, etc. I also made students limit cartoon imagery and required that they have at least 3 drawings done from realistic images/photographs. I gave a progress grade at the end of the first week and required that all students have at least 5 drawings prepared, so they could pick their best ones for printmaking. The final grade was based on all students having at least 3 prints. This way, they could work out any issues they might have the first time they printed and really get the hang of the process.
3. Start Printing 4 students at a Time at Printmaking Station: If you have never done printmaking in your art class before, I do not advise having more than 8-10 students printing at one time (depending on your room size/supplies, of course). In the the tiny classroom I had last year, 4 students at a large table at the front of the room was max occupancy. I conducted my demo like a cooking show and had a volunteer student perform the demonstration with my detailed instruction. That way the students get to see a fellow student make a print and get motivated to make their prints out of envy and fascination at how easily a cool product is made. 

Here are the Trace Monotype Printing Steps:

• Roll out an even layer of ink on the cookie sheet using a brayer. Make sure your ink "pad" is no larger than the drawing paper you have used to make your sketch.
• (optional) Use a piece of copy paper to blot the ink pad. This is often necessary when inexperienced students use way too much ink or do not roll the ink pad out evenly. Troubleshooting this issue and wasting some ink is often better than insisting they roll out a perfect ink pad, trust me. 
• Carefully lay a large piece of construction paper on top of the ink, and use masking tape to secure in place. Do not move the paper once it has been laid on top of ink pad.
• Lay drawing on top of construction paper and tape down securely as well. 
• Using cheap ballpoint pen & old books for hand rests, begin to trace over drawing applying more pressure when dark lines or value is needed. 
• When done, peel print off of ink pad and enjoy!

Helpful Tips:

-Appoint at least 2-3 expert students to assist other students with printing/clean up in every class. It will make your life so much easier.

-Have a sign up sheet. Make a list of students who are ready to print each day. Don't let slackers slip through the cracks (put their names on the list regardless at some point).

-Set a goal at the start of each class period "Today, we want 15 students to complete their first/second print!" (etc.)

In a perfect world, I would have photographs of step-by-step phases of this inexpensive Trace Monotype project, but it's not. So, here are some lovely completed prints from my lovely 6th graders in May of 2013...

Stolen Teacherisms

Seeing as how this blog is meant to be a "pay it forward" space for me to share some of my knowledge of this multi-faceted profession with other teachers, I thought it fitting that my first post should be a list of awesome teacher lines & quirks I have stolen from those who have surrounded and inspired me. Whether I am waiting to ask another teacher a question or being forced to observe other teachers on campus in order to complete some boring form for admin., I almost always pick up some real gems for my bag of tricks.

There are lots of great classroom management strategies I have learned from other teachers, but what I'm really focusing on in this post are the little moments that have a big impact in building the kind of environment where students feel safe and happy. Here are a few great ones I have adopted as my own. Feel free to steal away!

On Building a Rapport with Students:

• You've just said something the kids clearly don't understand fully, but you still want them to connect to it/remember it for later: say "smile & nod" at the end of your unanswered question or phrase (repeated often, no matter how dense the material, kids will get on board and at least have fun)
• You're lecturing on a concept they haven't grasped yet. Throw in a lighthearted, common saying and let them finish the sentence for you like a lead singer of a band throwing the well known lyric to the audience: "easy come...________"
• You're making your lap around the room to see if students are getting it, and you encounter a troubling situation (misuse of a supply, goofing off, etc). This line is also my favorite when an art student asks to take a drawing home to work on it overnight: "If you don't ___________, I'm going to throw you out the window." This is especially fun when you are in a room without windows. Note: do not throw children out of windows. You can also substitute "throw you out the window" with "I'm going to bite you." Note: do not bite children.

Here are a few of my own twisted lines I use to make the children love me through playful humor: (most of these are stolen from my mother by the way...) 

• "Are you having fun?" (in a very serious tone:) "What have I told you about that? Fun is not allowed in my classroom!" You can also try just shouting "Hey! STOP having fun!" as scary as you can. It really confuses them sometimes, and almost always increases the fun being had in the room.
• If you have a student you already have a rapport with you can try the slightly more scandalous "If I have to come over there, I'm going to beat you with a wet noodle." Or, my personal favorite: "Bash your face against my hand, I'm too tired to slap you."

Granted, a few of the above comments might get you a phone call from an overly sensitive parent if used with the wrong kid. So, obviously you pick your moments, and don't use them with the wrong kids. I've only ever said some of these things with kids I know adore me completely, and it pretty much just makes them love me more. 

Here is a photo of a Pac Man drawing done on my dry erase board by a 6th grader who loved me so much, he refused to leave my classroom on the last day of school.

On Letting Go & Having Fun Yourself:

• Stop trying to control the environment every once in a while. Learning can be happening in a noisy classroom. I've seen it happen on multiple occasions in my own room, but walking into another teacher's class that I think is immediately too loud only to discover a smiling teacher friend with a room full of happy kids getting work done is really refreshing.
• Play music YOU enjoy. Last year at the beginning of the summer I deleted several channels from my pandora account of which I am not a fan (One Direction, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, etc). Obviously, it's good to cater to the students' favorites at times, but nothing reminds them you are a unique human being with your own special likes/dislikes than singing along to some Tom Waits or INXS in your classroom every once in a while. Sure, they look at you like the least cool person that every walked the planet in these moments, but you know better.
• Have a dance party. One of my favorite teacher friends just posted on Facebook the other day about stopping her math class to have a dance party in the middle of the day. Her middle school students learned to build relationships with each other, that it's okay to blow off some steam every now and then, and were happy and ready to get back to work at end of this interlude. Win, win!
• Set aside a few minutes at the beginning or end of class to show a funny cat video or two on youtube on the overhead projector. Or a sloth video. You know you want to.

On Getting Out From Behind Your Desk:

If you have a really well-behaved class that is fully capable of working independently, it can be really tempting or gratifying to sit at your desk and catch up on email replies or finish shopping for new boots. Don't do it. (At least not every time.) I have been so inspired by other teachers when I walk into their classrooms, and don't see them immediately only to find them sitting among their students working themselves. Ideas for working among the minions:

• Recruit kids that have finished a project early to assist you in organizing or completing a project in the room. Hanging artwork in hallways and display cases with kids is fast and easy, for example.
• Sit and draw with them. Do the painting, sculpture, whatever project right along with them. At their table. In one of their seats. You might only finish a portion of it, but you have another example for another class, and you feed their sense of accomplishment in so many ways by working along side them. Another fun twist on this is to not talk to them while you do it, and act as if you are completely enthralled by your task. It's contagious!
• Grade papers for another class at a desk or table in the middle of the room. It reminds them how much work grading can be if nothing else, and you get some grading done without being the drone behind the desk at the front of the room. 

What are some of your favorite teacherisms--original or stolen?

And here is a drawing I made into a poster for my classroom & shared with other teachers upon request.