Teach Primary Issue 19.6

Combine patterns and printing techniques to help pupils create their own leporello book G I LL THOMPSON www.teachwire.net | 39 Guide children to place small blobs of light-coloured paint on the surface of the gel plate or alternative. Gently spread the paint evenly with the roller. Press one of the textured materials on the paint, then gently remove it, leaving a pattern. Carefully lay a piece of copy paper on top of the paint and smooth with your fingers. Peel the paper away, again very carefully, and leave it to dry on a flat surface. Repeat, so you have two printed papers. You can practise this as a separate art lesson before this activity if you like – there are plenty of variations. Cut away the remaining lino from around the outsides of your drawing. Dab a bold-coloured ink pad over the carved lino, and press the block down onto the paper printed with the light-coloured paint multiple times to make a pattern. You can use just one colour or different colours for this section. Finally, take the long strip of cartridge paper and fold it into a concertina pattern. Glue one end of the paper to the inside of one card cover, and the other end to the other card cover. You should now have two pieces of card, covered in your beautiful prints, with folded paper inside. Leave to dry and, voila! , your book is ready. Use as an art sketchbook or to record creative writing. This is perfect as a gift for the children’s families at the end of the year. Cover one side of each piece of card with printed paper – spread glue on one side of the card, place glue-side-down on the back of paper. Trim the edges, leaving 1cm all around. Cut diagonally across the corners of the edging, glue the edges and fold neatly around to the back of the card to make the book covers. Repeat with second piece of card. Next, draw around the lino block on a piece of copy paper and draw a simple image within the outline – this could be related to a class theme or an area of interest – e.g. a leaf, or a cartoon character. Scribble over the back of the drawing with a pencil. Place the paper over the lino block, with the pencil scribble facing down onto the block, and the drawing facing up. Draw firmly over the picture, transferring the image onto the lino. Use the carving tool to cut around the image, into the surface of the lino. Take care with sharp edges. U sing a combination of basic mark- making and printmaking methods, this lesson lets pupils create their own concertina or ‘leporello’ book. Each child will need: A gel printing plate (these are quite expensive, but there are alternatives – e.g. tinyurl. com/tp-PrintAlts ), a roller, acrylic paint, copy paper, textured materials (e.g. bubble wrap, corrugated card), a piece of soft-cut lino (get these online or in craft shops), a pencil, scissors, a V-shaped carving tool, ink pads, 2 pieces of card (12X12 cms), glue, and a long strip of cartridge paper folded into a concertina. F EATURE S AR T Gill Thompson is a former head teacher, and author. Her book, Exploring Printmaking (£22, Bloomsbury) is out now. gillthompsonartistprintmaker.com harbourprintstudio Gill Thompson