Silk Screen Printing Student Engagement

Student Engagement is 100% Excitement with new process Relevance/immediate application Creating functional art Possibility of financial gain Connection to pop culture Students gain a marketable skill. Great opportunity to invite an artist into your classroom. Pick someone cool!

Connection To Arkansas Frameworks CR Justify, with guidance, the need to be responsible in the use of traditional and/or new media and tools ●conservation ●norms ●craftsmanship ●media literacy ●social media CR Plan revisions for personal artwork in progress based on feedback (e.g., peer feedback, self-assessment, teacher assessment) CN Explore current personal interests and concerns as subject for artwork Variety of approaches can cover different standards and serve variety of goals.

Make It Easy on Yourself A 5 minute video is worth a thousand words. You can find an age appropriate one on YouTube. Use Instructables.com for easy set of instructions. This is the one I like, and I require my students to read as a homework and teach it the next day. Perfect opportunity for student-led lesson.

Preparing the screen Students work in groups and make their screen using old frames that they get to take apart. This is especially fun to the middle schoolers. We use an old curtain for the screen. Takes at least 2 people to do it! Make sure it is tight or it will not work right. Make them redo it if it is not right! Coat the screen twice. Follow the mixing instructions that come with the set. I use DIAZO; one kit is enough for 5-6 screens. We use cardboard to spread photo sensitive emulsion. The fewer things to clean the better! Make sure you have a nice and dark place available where screens can be kept for several days to dry. It is a process and it is important to remind kids about it.

Designing the Art Work Many ways to approach!!! Pop Art is only one of them. Perfect opportunity to discuss social movements, images, and slogans to sent social or political message. Think big and collaborate with other teachers. Positive and negative space is something big to consider. Make sure that your students are familiar with the concept before you start this project. Scaffolding is the key here. Have your students draw the designs with sharpies. Office Depot prints transparencies for about 50 cents. It is well worth it!

Burning The Screen May take some testing depending on the resources available. You may have to do some testing. I use tracing table. Each team is responsible for timing and washing their screen. You will have to make sure emulsion is completely out. Teams can’t stop washing till they OK it with me. Check carefully. Have some screen filler handy for the heavy handed eager middle schoolers. Screens have to be completely dry to be touched up, so have a hair dryer handy.

Printing When printing shirts, insert the cardboard inside so the ink doesn't bleed through. Choose 100% cotton for best results. I ask students to have at least 2 shirts, or other printing surfaces (like a tote). Spend time on discussing taking care of materials or your ink will go fast It is good to have some extender handy. It makes it easier to spread the ink and stretches it further

Tips Talk about the science and history! Photo sensitive emulsion was developed in 1850 by Henry Fox Talbot a photography pioneer. Buy fabric ink, it can be used on anything. Good way to fundraise. Students can create an edition of cards, t-shirts, totes, posters, patches…. Print on whatever stand still long enough. Dollar Tree carries t-shirts and cotton totes! Let kids experiment with colors, you will be amazed at what they can produce! Google search, all the hashtags and abbreviations they want to use, you may be amazed…. but not in a good way. Use donorschoose.com to fund your project