Basic Stamprinting Set-up
materials:
shallow plastic trays
(I save frozen entree trays)
cheap k1tchen sponges
liquid tempera paints
Cover the table with newspaper. Place a damp sponge in each tray. Saturate the sponge with liquid tempera. You may have to water the paint down a bit if it's too gloppy. Turn the sponge upside down and back again to distribute the paint.The trays are used like stamp pads. I usually offer 4-6 colors.
Vegetable Prints
materials:
large mushrooms,sliced lengthwise
sm.artichokes,sliced lengthwise
sliced off end of a stalk of celery
bell pepper, sliced crosswise
broccoli, sliced lengthwise
small red cabbage, sliced lengthwise
onion, sliced crosswiseWhen you cut the vegetable be sure to slice nice and straight so that the printable surface is FLAT. Use the basic stamp printing set-up. Vegetables make nice prints for paper placemats.Try different fruit for a change.Citrus fruit with citrus colors are cool prints in the summer.
Leaf Printing
materials:
a collection of fresh leaves (not crinkly)
a few sponge roller brushes, the small kind used for trim
shallow plastic trays filled with a little liquid tempera
12x18 paperProcedure is to place a leaf on the paper and roll paint over it with the sponge roller. Lift up the leaf carefully. There will be a negative print of the leaf. Now, elswhere on the paper place the same leaf, paint-side-down. Roll another color paint over it with another roller. Pick the leaf up and you will see a positive print of the leaf in one color, surrounded by a different color. Keep repeating this with the same leaf, turning it up then down using different colors. Lots of discovery kind of fun!
rainbow trout
materials:
4-6 handsome whole fish from the market
liquid tempera in rainbow colors
brushes
a soft paper like newsprintWash the fish and the trays they came in.Each fish needs it's own tray so you may have to use plastic trays too. Prosedure is to paint directly on the fish covering every part. Lift a print by placing the newsprint on top of the fish and carefully patting the paper to blot evry part of the fish. If you are using a harder paper the fish may be lifted and place, paint side down, on the paper to create the print. I usually turn the fish over for the next child.When both sides are painted the kids wash and dry the fish in a bucket of water.
Bubble Prints ..........(see photo)
materials:
wide mouth clear plastic cups
plastic drinking straws
liquid watercolors
dishwahing liquid
plastic trays or baking sheets
8x10 paperFor each color, fill the plastic cup half way with liquid watercolor diluted with some water to desired intensity. Add a squirt of liquid soap. Give each child a plastic straw with his name attached with a masking tape flag. The child blows bubbles into the soapy watercolor with a straw. Then, quick!, captures the bubble prints onto a piece of paper. As the bubbles burst onto the paper they make a print.
Blottos
Very Easy and always a hit!
materials:
liquid tempera in jars with spoons
12x18 paper, previously folded in half and opened again.The child scoops spoonfuls of different colored paint onto the paper. He folds the paper along the crease and rubs and smoothes the paper.Open the paper and Voila! This never fails to amaze the child. Sometimes we sprinkle opal glitter flakes on these to make them really dazzle.
Bubble Wrap Prints
materials:
sheets of plastic bubble wrap used for packing in a variety of sizes
tempera paints and brushes
12x18 paper
The bubble wrap can be tapes onto a table or a piece of cardboard for more stability if you like. The child paints the bubble wrap directly and lifts a print by placing the paper over the painted bubble wrap and smoothing with hands. Both the finished print and the bubble wrap itself are works of art. Nice to hang side by side.
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