Gelli Printing and collage

Last spring I ordered a class set of Gelli plates for my classroom and immediately became intimidated and overwhelmed with thoughts of managing a class using them.  I shared the process with my fellow art teachers and hoped I would find courage to use them in my classroom.  Baby steps last week when I pulled them out for the Art club to use.  Here are some pictures of student's work "in  the process".  I laid out supplies, stencils texture tools and other found objects and allowed them to experiment and to personally discover the limitless possibilities.  They printed on book pages, newsprint, construction paper and drawing paper.  I had hoped to have deli papers for them but the order didn't arrive in time - next time I'll pull those out.  WE had a blast!  Collages will be made using selected prints on canvas and also for cards.  Pictures to follow when they are completed.

We used large paper as a place mat to keep things
organized by student.

Playing with texture making tools both purchased
and made from old credit cards 

Adding stamps for mask and then stamping
on other prints to create ghost prints

Gyotaku rubber fish worked well, too!

Sun Prints with student created stencils

 When the weather cooperates, sun prints are part of the end of the year curriculum.  Some years the weather just doesn't cooperated but this year has been generous with really warm sunny days up here in the Northeast.  I think I saw the idea to use the stain glass scratch art paper to make a stencil on pinterest.  I tucked the idea away knowing it would work great for this year's sun prints.  I challenged 2nd grade students to draw geometric and organic shapes in an interesting way on the scratch art paper. They could overlap or texture the shapes in any way they wanted.  We headed outside into the sunshine ready to print once these were ready.  I wish my sun print paper had been a bit larger so the prints wouldn't have been cut off, but they came out pretty good.  This project has me thankful for this springs warm sunny days!