All Levels Studio Lesson
Judith Blake
G
N
Budget
Cool! Can I do another one?
These words are always
spoken when my classes
learn to print repeat designs
using stamps made from erasers.
Students as young as ten can design
and cut their own
stamps and print exciting designs in a rather
short period of time.
Want to teach printmaking on a tight budget? Try using erasers!
The size and shape doesn’t matter—
they’re easy to cut and print beautifully. I like to use erasers when I
teach a lesson in repeat design or
tessellation. This can tie in to any
core subject area as well as being an
art lesson in itself.
I have a number of reference
books of ethnic designs and patterns, but the designs can be original, of course. Themes based on
social studies units like China,
ancient Egypt, and West Africa, for
example, tie in with designs that
produce dramatic patterns. This lesson can be done with any level; children younger than eleven or twelve
will need help carving their erasers.
Creating a Design
Have students place the eraser on
the white paper and trace around it.
They should select their design and
draw it in the traced space to fit the
dimensions of the eraser. It is impor-
tant that the design
hits at least one point
of each edge of the
eraser. Ask students to
try a few designs they
like. Asymmetrical
designs work best.
Students select the design they
like best and use the pencil to make
it very dark. Have them set the
cleanest side of the eraser on top of
the drawing, and fold the edges of
the paper up and around the eraser,
and very carefully turn them over
together, being sure to keep the
eraser aligned with the drawing,
then place them back down on the
table. Students use the side of the
pencil to rub all over the drawing on
top of the eraser very firmly. When
the paper is removed, the image
should appear in reverse on the
eraser. Students trace over the image
on the eraser to make it clean and
clear.
Want to teach
printmaking on
a tight budget?
Try using erasers!
I
K
a
A
on
M
PRINT
