“Sisters”
Jennifer Pilling
 
 
 

Lesson Plan
Katrina G. Nuss
Upper Moreland High School
3000 Terwood Road
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania

Theme
Individuals Who Have Made An Imprint
On Our World

Purpose
To create a monochromatic relief print from a block of pine using the reduction method of carving to portray an individual whom the student believes to have made an imprint on his/her life in a special way.

Materials
Blocks of Pine Wood Cut to Various Sizes, but 1” Thick
Speedball® Super Black India Ink
Speedball V- and U-Shaped Gouge Blades
Speedball Brayers
Speedball Water-Soluble Block Printing Inks
Speedball Bench Hook
Printing Guard
Japanese Carving Knife
Inking Trays
Wooden Spoons
Thumb Tacks
Wire Brush
Flat Rasps
Nails for Stippling
Sketch Books
Pencils
Paper for Printmaking (economical) or Etching & Litho Paper Paper
Black Permanent Markers
“3-in-1” Multipurpose Oil
Stone for Sharpening
Solution of 1/2 Shellac and 1/2 Alcohol
Paper Towels

Time Required
Ten 45-minute sessions

Process
SESSION 1
Discuss history of printmaking. Begin with prints produced by Stone Age humans in caves and continue forward in time to those produced in Egypt, China, Japan, Europe (beginning in the late 14th century) and universally today. Present the evolution of printmaking from past practical applications to study and use as a creative mode of expression in modern times, along with
possible reasons for this transition. Recall printmaking in its most rudimentary form– the fingerprints and hand prints all of us made as children.

Explain the difference between original and mass produced prints. Define the terms
edition and limited edition. Review printmaking methods: relief, planographic (lithography), intaglio (etching, engraving), stencil (screen printing, serigraphy); give examples of each. Introduce project theme. Instruct students to gather the resources necessary to begin sketching their ideas for
the portrait during the next class. Acceptable resources are drawings or photographs of individuals.

SESSION 2
Review yesterday’s presentation of printmaking methods and terminology. Give students more detailed information about the process and tools used to make their relief prints from single blocks of pine.

Demonstrate use of the gouges and Japanese carving knife in cutting lines and shapes,
along with possible textures. Show how to raise the grain of the wood with a wire brush, how to stipple with a nail, and how to create various values and textures with a rasp. The demonstration is proof that small details are more difficult to cut in pine and more simplified design concepts create clearer printed images.

Direct students to select a block of pine wood and waterproof it using the solution of 1/2 shellac to 1/2 alcohol.

Ask students to proceed in drawing their composition in a variety of thumbnail sketches. Reinforce the importance of the principles of design. Work with students individually.

SESSION 3
Instruct students to enlarge one of their thumbnail sketches to fit their pine block. Explain how the printed image is the reverse of the design carved into the wood block, and if students do not want reverse prints, they must reverse the design prior to transferring it to the wood. Students are
allowed to make this decision.

Transfer design by scribbling graphite densely on the back of the drawings, place the graphite-shaded side against the wood surface, and trace over the drawings with light pressure.

SESSION 4
After transferring the drawing to the wood, trace over the pencil drawing with permanent black ink markers. Stain the wood block using India ink and paper towels, so the wood turns dark gray, to aid in determining which parts of the wood have been cut (natural pine) versus those still intact (gray).

SESSION 5
Discuss the role of color in the reduction method of carving and monochromatic printmaking utilizing three color values. White must be present, because the paper is white. Guide students in shading their drawings with color pencils in the three color values they wish to print, to clarify their
plans prior to cutting the wood. Commence carving away all areas which are to remain white. Use the Japanese carving knife to outline the shapes to be cut first, then use the gouges to keep the carving neat. During the carving process, demonstrate how to sharpen the gouges with the multipurpose oil and a stone.

SESSION 6
Set up the printing guard, which has a right angle next to which inked blocks are placed. Secure the top of the paper to the printing guard with two thumbtacks, then flip up.

Print the lightest color value first. Place the ink on the inking tray and use the brayer to spread it smoothly, prior to transferring the ink evenly to the block. Slide the inked block into place against the right angle of the printing guard. Flip down the printing paper and flatten with one’s hand over the block of wood, or use a baren. Burnish the entire block with a wooden spoon. Carefully lift back the paper, which is called pulling the print. Repeat the process five or six times until the edition is complete with the first color. Number the prints in the lower left corner as they are pulled to keep them in order.

SESSIONS 7, 8, 9
Continue the process of reduction. Carve away all areas of the block which are to remain the lightest color. Repeat the printing process with the middle color, keeping the prints in  and carve away all areas that are to remain the middle color. Begin the printing process a third time, using the darkest shade of the monochromatic scheme. The printmaking process is complete when all colors are printed on the edition of five to six prints.

SESSION 10
Name the prints by centering the title in quotes under each of the printed images. Use a pencil. Sign and date each print in the bottom right corner, and check the numbering of the edition for accuracy and correct placement at the bottom left corner of each printed image. Ask each student to
select his/her best print to be matted.

Safety Hints:
Always cut away from your body and hand.
Always use a bench hook to steady the block
when carving.

Teaching Aids
Books and reproductions of cave art, Japanese prints, medieval art books, prints by Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt, Kathe Kollwitz, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, William Morris, and others. Examples of various styles of portraits that are not necessarily prints, my own wood block prints, and prints made by former students.
Block Printing DVD
Printmaking Book

Evaluation
• Appropriate use of equipment and materials
• Good craftsmanship and neatness in carving
• Balanced composition
• Interesting use of positive and negative space
• Event application of ink on prints
• Edition of 5-6 prints
• Accurate registration of prints
• Each print is numbered, titled, signed, and dated in the appropriate places
• One print is matted