"Etching" with Scratch-Foam

Packets of Scratch-Foam can be purchased from art supply stores. It is the same type of material that vegetables are often packed in at the grocery. So if you have something that you can re-use, all the better. I used a pen to draw the image of the house on my sheet of Scratch-Foam, making sure that I pressed hard enough for the pen point to make an actual impression in the foam. With the brayer I rolled water-soluble block printing ink onto my foam plate. I turned the plate over onto a sheet of paper and applied some pressure with the palm of my hand. As you can see the lines that you have pressed into the foam are the color of the paper that you are using. Very different looks can be achieved depending on the combination of the colors of both ink and your paper.

how to make your own stamp

Sheets of foam can be purchased at most art supply stores and they are very easy to cut. I drew this paisley onto the foam and used a pen to make the little dot designs. Using a glue stick I adhered the paisley to a block of wood. You can use acrylic paint or block printing ink applied with a brayer or a brush. Another alternative with small children is to use commercial ink pads. The stamps are a fun way to make your own wrapping paper.

Gyotaku Prints

At one time Japanese fisherman would make prints of their fish so that they could have a record of prized catches. These prints were made by pressing rice paper onto a fish that had been covered in ink. Making fish prints with children is a simple introduction to printmaking. You can use a fresh fish or you can purchase rubber replicas from art supply stores. The poor perch that I have pictured is missing a fin, but you'll get the idea. I've found that tempera paints work well and if you give the child 2 or 3 colors the prints will have a more dimensional quality. In the print pictured I used blue, yellow and some gold paint with sparkles, and printed it on a piece of canvas. You can use rice paper, newsprint or even paper towels.

Gelatin Prints