Printmaking
First Year students were guided through the initial exploratory phase of investigation, by listening to a rich, evocative passage, which described a series of mechanical car-parts. Students took turns to guess what objects were being elicited by this kind of language.
Addressing various principles of sculpture (such as; weight, balance, form, scale, space, and surface), students created a bricolage from these primary sources. Using viewfinders, students enlarged, and recorded various sections of their constructions. Line drawing techniques such as stippling, hatching and cross-hatching were used to record and convey the material and tonal qualities of their mechanical constructions. These observational drawings were worked, and re-worked in different media to transition from the discipline of drawing to drypoint printmaking. Due to the layout of the art classroom, students gained valuable experience in practising in a working printmaking environment. Knowledge was gained of key printmaking processes like stretching paper, engraving, inking a plate, registering correctly, and operating a printing press.
Project Aims
At the end of the project, students were able to transfer key information recorded from a three- dimensional object into a two- dimensional drypoint etching. Students learned how to describe the qualities of mechanical objects through the explicit use of line. The class gained an understanding for the printmaking process, as well as an appreciation of the work of several historical and contemporary printmakers.
Sample of Students' Work
