4th Grade Art Project West Mercer Elementary Art Enrichment Program Letterpress Poetry Presentation modified and prepared by Alice Finch 2016 4th Grade Art Project West Mercer Elementary Art Enrichment Program

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Lesson Overview 1 Lesson: Haiku Poetry and Letterpress Time: 2 sessions 1- 75 minutes + 30 min cleanup 2- 60 minutes + 30 min cleanup Volunteers: 4 Medium: printmaking Curriculum connection: poetry Project Overview/Skills Students will write poetry in small groups and then set the type, make background patterns or emboss the paper, then print the poetry

Letterpress Poetry Materials Needed Session 1- For each Student Session 2- For the Class Scratch paper or lined paper for writing poetry 9x12 Bristol Paper Session 1- For the Class Stencil patterns Background patterns Block printing ink colors (water base) Brayers- big and little Brown craft paper or scrap construction paper- to cover up ink mess so it doesn’t get on fresh paper etc. Blue tape for holding stencils in place Scrub brushes for cleanup Letterpress cart with Letter type Print ink (rubber based) Paint can opener Linseed oil Syringe for linseed oil Letterpress brayer (for rubber ink) Acrylic plate for rolling out ink Scrap construction paper for making paper mask around text Gojo soap for hands Clean up bins Gloves Vegetable oil Scrub brush Paper towels

Display Once the project is finished, student work should be mounted on colored paper and displayed either in the classroom or in the designated area in the hallway. If there are some who have not finished, please check with the teacher on how they would like to proceed. Do not assume that it ok to continue the project after the allotted time.

While reading the book, volunteers can set up the inking stations Cover tables with butcher paper Will need 6-8 stations If no extra tables available in class or in hall, may need to move kids from desks to share with other kids in order to have designated table space Each station needs space for Stencil Bristol paper Inking acrylic and brayer The stencil should be taped at the top so that it can be lifted up, a paper put under, then let down Green = butcher paper White= paper Blue = stencil- taped at top Orange = ink acrylic & brayer

Today’s Project Letterpress Haiku

Basho- Haiku Poet An old silent pond…. A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again. Basho

Step 1 – Nature Haiku Big idea in few words Topics for today- nature Animals For example- Pollinating insect Purring cat Plants Dandelion seeds Giant oak tree Places Rippling water Snow covered …

Step 2 – The point of haiku Simple Quiet Specific small moment Related to nature Structure of the poem 5-7-5 syllables On your paper, make a list of 5 things you could write about Be specific- crocus vs. flower, elm vs. tree, drizzle or raindrop vs. rain

Step 3 – Start with a small moment The general idea Autumn leaves fall quietly Gather words for your main ideas Make a chart like this on your paper Pick one of your ideas and collect words You may use a thesaurus What does it look like? What does it do? How does it do it? Autumn leaves Fall quietly Crimson Paper thin Variegated Vibrant Scalloped tinged Tumble Float swirl Alone In a gust of wind Flurry slowly

Step 4 – Work with the words & syllables Work on the idea, then work on getting the right words Autumn leaves fall quietly Bright red leaves / pulled by an autumnal wind / float to the ground A crimson tinged leaf / plucked by an autumnal gust, / tumbles to the ground. What does it look like? What does it do? How does it do it? Autumn leaves Fall quietly Crimson Paper thin Variegated Vibrant Scalloped tinged Tumble Float swirl Alone In a gust of wind Flurry slowly

Step 5 - Images What kind of images can you put on the background of your haiku letterpress poster? Patterns Object to represent plant/a Write your name on the back of your Bristol paper- Lightly Bottom edge you don’t want the impression of the writing to show through on the front Stencil options:

Step 6 – Stenciling Stencil options Small designs, like these leaves, can be used more than once on a single page or it can be centered All over stencils Use blue tape on top side of the stencil to hold it in place Lift it up and place your paper carefully so it is centered

Stencil and Ink signups Make a chart for inking so that when one student is done at a station, they can get the next person For example: leaves + red/yellow ink leaves + brown/green ink Paisley + purple/teal Put your name on the back of the Bristol paper now, before you ink it!

Step 7 – Ink Block printing ink Use at least 2 shades/tints (blue + white or light green + dark green) Here is dark yellow + orange + red mixed together a little bit- you want it to be mottled No dark colors or the letterpress inks won’t show on it

Step 8 – Use a brayer Roll the brayer in the ink- in doing this you can mix a bit of the shades together- do not mix it so much that it becomes all the same color Dab the brayer in the different shades to add more highlights if needed Roll the brayer over the stencil

Step 9 – Move it and Stencil Again If you want, you can pick up the stencil, move it and stencil again. Be aware that when you do this, you will get ink on the back side from the first round of inking. If you move it again, it can leave light impressions, which can look nice.

Step 10 – Printing without re-inking This shows three impressions from only one inking Top = 1st printing Middle = 2nd printing Bottom = 3rd printing You can do this on purpose to get a more subtle printed pattern

Step 11 – Things to consider Hold plastic stencils down with blue tape If the stencil is bigger than the paper, consider how you want to center it If using a wooden stencil, put the paper on the stencil, not the other way around. You can use a baren (wooden spoon) to help it make an even printing

Step 12- Drying Put printed paper on drying rack After cleanup, can put stencils and ink acrylic sheets on rack to dry also

Step 1 – Letterpress Letterpress is how things were printed before printing became digital- it was labor intensive and time consuming, which made the printed word valuable and respected. Steps to printing Write the text by hand Set the type (letter by letter) Format the page (fill in the gaps and tighten it up so it won’t move around Ink the text Paper and packing (extra paper so there is some ‘give’ when pressure is applied) Load the galley into the press Crank the press Unload, and then…

West Mercer Elementary Art Enrichment Program 2016 Letterpress Basics Presentation prepared by Alice Finch 2016 West Mercer Elementary Art Enrichment Program 2016

Letterpress Hydraulic press with release

Setting the type Letters are reversed- b and d, p and q, even a and g can be confusing If you set it wrong, you will know when you do your first printing- fix it and print again Type is set into a galley or tray

Furniture Furniture is the term used for all the pieces of wood that act as spacers on top, bottom, the edges, and between lines example

Shims to tighten

Mask for edge of text to protect the galley from ink Use a piece of scrap or construction paper Cut out a rectangle to fit your type to mask off any extra around the frame If ink does get on the mask (and you need to reprint), put a scrap over the spot so that it doesn’t get on your Bristol paper Can also just use blue tape

Printing Ink Open ink can with screwdriver or paint can opener Use the spackle knife to remove only a small amount of ink- just enough to cover the edge of the knife Scrape ink onto glass and spread out Any unused ink can be scraped up and put back in the can 8 minute video on how printing ink is made  http://youtu.be/Fypi6dAJB8E 

Dilute with Linseed Oil Use the dropper to add a few drops of linseed oil to the ink The ink in the top picture is too thick (see the ripples and hear the sticky sound) Add linseed oil until less friction and less ripples Apply ink with narrow brayer dedicated to printing ink

Galley Prep Galley set with letters, furniture, and shims Text is inked If there are inky spots on the furniture or galley, cover them with bits of scrap paper so they don’t accidentally print Drop the thick bristol paper on top do not reposition if it is tilted Place 2 -3 sheets of thin scratch paper as ‘packing’ paper (helps prevent the Bristol paper from being damaged by the force of printing) Add one more Bristol paper on top

Printing Place galley in the center of the press Use the handle and crank the jack down until it meets the galley Crank 2 more times Use the pressure release and the top of the press will raise

Results Release the jack with the white knob Remove the galley Remove the top sheet and packing paper Carefully peel up the printed page It can pull on the type so do it slowly to keep the type in place

Printed Project Type will stay wet for at least 24 hours Do not stack until dry If it takes longer than 24 hours to dry, the ink was probably too thick (use a few more drops of linseed oil)

Take it home When the ink is dry, you can take your project home in a white envelope.

Ink Cleanup Gloves Dishpans Vegetable oil- a few tablespoons in the bottom Wipe off text first Then set a few pieces of type in oily pan (don’t put all in as you don’t want it to absorb the oil) Scrub with brush Wipe with paper towels until no more ink left on type Clean the ink knife as well Scrub hands with Gojo soup to get off any ink