Affirmation Animal  Prints

My third-grade artists began by discussing affirmations and learning how an affirmation is anything you say or think about yourself. All of our self-talk, both negative and positive, are affirmations. We learned how positive affirmations are the practice of positive thinking and self-empowerment to retrain our brains to think more positively. We then shared positive qualities and traits about ourselves with the class. It was beautiful to hear all the wonderful things they had to say about one another!  

Next, my young artists were tasked with creating a drawing of an animal that represents one positive affirmation about themselves. (Ex. I am clever like a fox, I am energetic like a cheetah, I am nurturing like a penguin). They then took those drawings and traced them onto a sheet of styrofoam which they used to create a series of prints. To create the prints my young artists taped their drawings onto a sheet of Inovart 4"x6" styrofoam and used a red colored pencil to trace their images- leaving a faint impression onto the styrofoam. They then lift the paper and re-draw their animal directly onto the styrofoam. Once done. they carefully cut out their animal and are ready to print!

My young artists then used Mr. Sketch Unscented Watercolor markers to draw directly onto their animals. We then sprayed a sheet of paper with water and wiped it down with a paper towel. Next they carefully placed the paper (wet side down) on top of their animals and rub the back with their hands before pulling back to reveal their print! In total students created about 8 prints in total using different colors.

The second portion of this project was to create the backgrounds, we actually used texture rubbing plates for this part! We used Speedball Water-Soluble Block Printing Ink and brayers to roll ink across the plates before using Fadeless Art Paper to print on. Each table had a different color ink and artists could move around the room to try out the various colors and texture patterns- making a total of 4-6 background prints. 

Finally they put all of their printmaking pieces together! They cut out their favorite 4 animal prints and used a glue stick to attach them to their 4 printed backgrounds. They then mounted them onto a black piece of cardstock and used a white colored pencil to sign and edition their work. 

On a seperate piece of paper they wrote the affirmation and animal they represented in their work and attached it to the bottom of one print. We concluded by sharing and celebrating our work with the class! 

Student ArtÂ