Craft with Old Dvds

Old CDs or DVDs are the perfect size and material to turn into a plate for monoprints with little kids. I added a bit of acrylic paint to tempera so that the consistency was a bit thicker. Using a sponge brush, I coated the CD and made lines in the paint with a Q-Tip. I turned the CD over onto the white paper and made the print. If one print was too faint or I didn't like it, I simply printed on top of it.

Collograph Flower

I made these collograph prints with very young children. The one pictured is my example. They started with a piece of craft foam and scissors. I explained that they should try cutting out different shapes: some small, some slightly bigger, and to try and use some straight cuts and some curved or wiggley cuts. They didn't need to worry about it looking like an object that could be recognized. One little girl did opt to cut out a flower and a little boy did a house. We used white glue to attach the craft foam to a piece of corrugated cardboard and we let out printing plates dry until the next class.

 

For printing we just used tempera paint and little foam rollers that can usually be purchased in the home improvement section of the Dollar Store. I encouraged them to print many images on one sheet of paper.

 

I'm starting a newsletter with DIY templates, news from my Etsy shop, and step-by-step photos of some of the techniques for my artwork and illustrations. The newsletter in early June 2018 will include a template for a simple pop-up book to make with children. Sign-ups on the right-hand side of the blog.