Stamp Pad Palette: Finger, Thumb, Hand Printing!

In this little lesson, we'll play with our homemade stamp pad palette (see last post for instructions). You may choose to use a pre-made stamp pad, or even a watercolor tray with wet watercolors if you prefer.

You will need:

* a stamp pad palette (see previous post for materials list and instructions). You may choose to use a pre-made stamp pad (with washable inks) or watercolor tray for this one.

* something to draw with (marker, pen, crayon - I recommend something you cannot erase)

* something to print and draw on (paper, cardboard, whatever you have handy)

* a damp cloth for wiping hands between printings

Prepare your space:

* cover your work area

* have several pieces of paper ready to work with

* place your palette, rag/s, and paper where you can easily reach them

* keep drinking water nearby

* music? light? whatever makes it your ideal creative workspace, do that!

The work:

* we will play with printing our finger tips, hands, thumbs - you set the parameters for yourself/your kids about what is OK to print (what body parts, and on what surface/s)

* wipe your finger (or whatever you are printing) on the rag before moving to the next color or touching things other than your painting support

* I encourage you to fill a page with prints! overlap, experiment with the amount of pressure you apply, explore the work

* we will look at our prints and decide where to add marks with our marker (or pencil, pens, whatever you are using)

* save your prints, even if you don't love them or want to keep them right now - they can be torn/cut later and used in mixed media and collage projects!

Extensions:

* swap papers with a friend and mark on each others prints

* tell a story, using your prints pictures as illustrations

* incorporate a color lesson (primaries, secondaries, warms, cools, complementaries ...)

* look at the work of Judith Ann Braun, Ed Emberley, Marion Deuchars

Have Fun! Be kind to yourself and each other.