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My fourth-graders experimented
with gesture drawing using
charcoal. Drawing lines quickly and
loosely to capture movement, we did
gesture drawings of one another.
We focused on the movement of the
figure, not on what the person gesturing
actually looked like. For example, a person
posing would appear to be frozen in
action, shooting a basketball or running.
Many famous artists have done gesture
drawings and then have used them as a
basis for a painting, silkscreen, in printmaking
or sculptural designs.
My students used their gesture
drawings as a basis for knowing how to
draw a snowman in action. I asked the
students to think of acrobatic acts
they’ve seen either in television or at
the circus. Then, they were to envision
a snowman as an acrobat or stuntman.
How could a snowman’s actions be
caught in freeze-frame, capturing the
movement Each student sketched at
least one snowman using the gesture
method of charcoal on paper.
Next we converted these gesture
drawings into line drawings of acrobatic
snowmen to be used in printmaking.
I explained that we’d be making
linoleum prints of our snowmen.
Printmaking is about 2,000 years old.
Some of the earliest prints that we studied
in class were attributed to the Chinese.
Many artists throughout history
have created great prints. Andy Warhol,
Edvard Munch, Albrecht Dürer and
Pablo Picasso were among those artists
whose work we looked at. We discussed
the fact that because prints are made in
multiples, you can get more than one
copy of your art in several different colors,
each still being an “original.”
The main types of printmaking are
screenprinting, lithography, intaglio and
relief. We used the relief-printing method
to create our acrobatic snowmen prints.
A relief print is one in which the image to
be printed is raised from a background.
My class had previously completed
gadget prints, so they were acquainted
with block-printer’s ink. They also were
aware of positive and negative areas.
We transferred our line drawing of
the acrobatic snowmen onto the
linoleum’s surface by placing a piece of
carbon paper on the linoleum, laying
our drawing on top, and tracing the lines
with a pencil. Then the drawing and carbon
paper were removed and the image
was now on the linoleum’s surface.
I showed the students the gouges
with which we would be cutting the
linoleum. I demonstrated using the
gouge to go over the line drawing on
the linoleum’s surface. At this point I
Printmaking in Action
reviewed positive and negative space
again. Then, the students began to cut,
while I reminded them to cut away
from themselves to avoid getting hurt.
After the linoleum was successfully
cut, we used water-based block printer’s
ink to print. We squeezed out ink
onto a Plexiglas plate and then rolled it
by Karen Skophammer
By using different-colored inks, Mariah created two moods for her trampoline-jumping
snowmen.
out evenly with a brayer (rubber
roller). Paper was placed over the
inked surface and then rubbed with our
“baren”—a big wooden kitchen spoon.
Then, the print was pulled. The
places on the linoleum that were cut
were white when printed, while the
linoleum that was left raised, received
20 70 years of arts & activities ❘ november 2003

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will...
• define gesture drawing.
• complete a gesture drawing of a
classmate and a snowman.
• transform the gesture drawing of a
snowman into a line drawing.
• successfully cut the linoleum design.
• successfully print an edition of
five prints.
• analyze the mood of the prints.
• name the types of printmaking.
• name at least two artists who
created prints.
• define printmaking terms: brayer,
block-printer’s ink, gouge, edition,
positive, negative and pulling
a print.
Kelsey’s snowmen practice on the balance beam.
Devon also chose a trampoline.
MATERIALS
• Charcoal pencils or charcoal
• Paper
• Artists works: Andy Warhol, Edvard
Munch, Albrecht Dürer (see page 24)
and Pablo Picasso
• Linoleum
• Linoleum gouges
• Carbon paper
• Water-based block-printer’s ink
• Plexiglas plate
• Baren or other utensil for rubbing the
back of print
the ink and was printed.
I let the students mix colors of ink to
see what the mood of the print would
be. Was there a different mood or feeling
to a brightly colored print than
from a black-and-white print Why
The students were really enthused
during this unit of study. It allowed
them to think “outside the box” and
encourage them to look more closely
at the movement involved when people
are in action.
■
Karen Skophammer teaches art for the
Manson Northwest Webster Schools in
Barnum and Manson, Iowa.
Figure skating was the choice for Jason’s snowmen.
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