Printmaking on a Dime Series, Part II: That Time I Taught Myself How to Silkscreen*

Most art teachers I know went to art school and have practiced a number of art mediums themselves. Although, it's no secret that there are only so many studio classes and techniques one can explore in a college career and it is impossible to cover them all. Then, there are those rare art teachers who did not study art in college, and they may have limited experience in various techniques. Whatever your background, there will inevitably be a time in your art teaching career where you find yourself planning to teach a technique you do not know how to execute yourself. Luckily for you, you're a grown up who isn't afraid to try new things, right?!

Once upon a time, I was planning to teach silkscreening, but I had never done it myself. Armed with some google search results and supplies I brought home and spread out on the kitchen table, this problem was quickly remedied. Days later, I was able to teach several high school classes how to silkscreen some simple stenciled images onto paper using the following supplies & steps:

Supplies:

• Screen Printing Units (2-4)
• Water Soluble Block Printing Ink
• Graphic Squeegees
• X-acto knives & cutting pads (or cardboard scraps work too)
• Freezer paper
• Basic Colored Copy Paper (can always be found in your trusty teacher workroom)
• Masking Tape
• Newspaper

Steps:

1. Introduce Students To Printmaking/Focus on a Theme for Silk Screens. See Part I in this printmaking post series for my thoughts on introducing students to the many ways to make a print when teaching just one type of printmaking...Unlike trace monotype, it is important to pick a theme when teaching a more complicated printmaking process like silkscreening in order to avoid students spending too much time worrying about the what only to become overwhelmed when approaching the how. Pop Art and the concept of repetition made famous by Andy Warhol is a decidedly easy fall back. Not to mention, students hop on board the Pop Art Train pretty readily since practically everything they care about falls into the category of pop art imagery--iphones & other technology, sports logos & other logos, movie stars, musicians, fashion, cupcakes, you name it--it's pop art! Also, printing on paper instead of fabric is affordable and saves a lot of grief if mistakes are made during the screen printing process. Make sure you are using water soluble ink for paper.
2. Teach students how to make a stencil. That last statement is much easier said than done. If you have some fail-proof way of explaining the art of converting your favorite drawn image to a successful stencil, I'd love to hear it. The main concept you want to convey to students is that lines/shapes that touch will translate to a blob that will be cut out and filled in with ink later. The best rule of thumb is to pick out the main shapes that define value in a drawing and stick to those. Many students will catch your drift immediately, but you'll be left with a handful of head-scratchers who continue to produce drawings that just won't work as a stencil. Sometimes the only way to get through to these stubborn kiddos (because they usually are pretty stubborn and will likely become annoyed with you when you stand over them for the 5th or 6th time saying "Nope, not gonna work..."), is to just let them try to start cutting their doomed sketch into a stencil and hope the light bulb clicks on when they end up with a big void where they meant to have several snazzy details. One way I ended up getting through to a few students like this once was to draw a jack-o-lantern on the board. Pretty much everyone has cut a pumpkin at Halloween once in their lives, and this may help them catch your drift quickly. Having a precursor lesson about implied line is another great lead-in to teaching stencil making. Also, always remember to remind students that they will end up with the reverse image of their drawing when completing a screen print, so logos and words always need to be drawn/cut backwards. Making a one-layer screen print is the easiest, but many students may want to go a step or two further and layer 2-3 value stencils together to make a more complex print.
   
   Here is a stencil made on wax paper (freezer paper works better though!) from a quick self-portrait sketch I completed by blocking out & drawing all of main dark value shapes in a photograph of myself.
   
   
3. Start Printing 2-4 Students at a Time at Printmaking Station. Silkscreening is a delicate process, especially if a student is layering 2-3 value stencils. The registration has to be exact or the student will be devastated when value lines don't line up, and you will feel responsible. Demonstrate how to place tape at the corner of the paper line on the wooden board backing of the screen print unit to ensure that each piece of paper is laid in the appropriate place. More tape is needed to keep the freezer paper stencil registered properly beneath the mesh silk screen. Once paper & stencil are in place, close the screen printing unit and apply ink as needed to the top of the silk screen. Squeegee the ink in a fluid motion from top to bottom. Remove the print to dry on a drying rack when finished. The screen frame of the printing unit will need to be detached, cleaned and dried thoroughly after each use. Allow at least 5-10 minutes of clean up at the end of each class, and as always, elect trusted students to assist you with helping other students to print and clean up around the printmaking station. Once students have completed a satisfactory series of 3-4 prints, they can be mounted on posterboard for a lovely Warhol-esque result to display in your school hallways or display cases!
   
   
   
   My completed print from the aforementioned self-taught lesson at my kitchen table.
   
   
   
   
   
   Students at printmaking station.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Completed Student Prints Ready for Display!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

*Even cheaper Silkscreening On a Dime Footnote!

Did you know you can silkscreen using Modge Podge, cheap craft store picture frames & pretty much any type of sheer fabric?! Learn how here!  (I did this to make t-shirts with art club students last year, but I failed to take photos of any of the process.) 

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.