Thursday, November 29, 2012

Block Reduction Printmaking HS Art

What is your inner/spirit animal I asked my students? To find out we visited the World Wild Life website and took their quiz. Respect is part of our school's mission statement and philosophy, as it should be with any school. Part of my interpretation of that is the need and respect for other living beings. Although humans are at the top of the food chain doesn't mean we should take other animals contribution to our ecosystem for granted. 

A friend of mine several years ago invited me to Chicano Park in Barrio Logan (San Diego) to watch her danza Azteca (Aztec Dance) performance. Afterwards she described her form and moves as an imitation of her spiritual animal. They say that owners look like their pets and vice versa. I wonder how much of that is true and how much we adapt the behaviors and movements of other living beings around us.

I do block reduction printing every year, it is one of my mainstays and the kids love it. My joy from it comes in making the student process the problem of adding/removing color. I hear the eternal cries of "I don't want all my prints to be yellow!" Below is a sample of the beginning, middle, and end product. 


Prior to starting the project I had the students draw the tools they will be using in their sketchbooks. I found this to be an effective exercise for students learning the vocab. 
A rubber block and a gouge  
I have students use color pencils on their drawing to figure out how many colors they will be using. I limit the colors to five and that is at times pushing it.  
From light to dark is the way I roll. So yellow it is.
My example
Printing her 3rd color
After three colors
Inking the plate
Action shot
Gouging
After three colors.
Almost done.
After 2 colors
Finished print
Finished print.
Almost done, one color to go.
Finished!
Getting there
Discovering your inner penguin.
His real last name is Sharky
Roar!
Very 80's color scheme.
Panda is a name of a cheese here and they have the best commercials.




Monochromatic print.


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