collawhat? collagraph.

I'm focusing on texture with my 2nd  and 5th graders right now. Some of the 2nd grade students have made collagraphs to explore this element.

A collagraph is when you glue different materials to a plate of some sort, let the glue dry, apply ink to the surface, and transfer the inked image onto another piece of paper.

Normally I use an artist to introduce the content, but in this lesson we dove right into the element of texture and how to make a collagraph. Students were required to use at least 3 different textures to be proficient and 4 or more to be advanced.

Students glued a variety of materials to their board during our first meeting and in the second meeting they printed their plates and applied a stencil afterwards to turn their image into a mixed media work of art.

The stencil was created by folding paper a couple of times  and cutting shapes from it. With this added layer, students were able to revisit symmetry in art and shape.

This was the first project that we used our new printing press for. Students really enjoyed being able to crank their plates through the press and peel back the paper afterwards to see what had transferred.

Applying the spray paint stencil afterwards was just gravy. Icing on the cake for the students.