Teaching Design Through Printmaking

Over the years, I have found ways to teach key principles through simple printmaking exercises. The key for me is that printmaking encourages the problem-solving skills that I need every single person I teach to develop. This is a metacognitive skill that I can then help students apply to any situation. Not to mention, printmaking is a universal art form… every single culture has some tie to this type of image making.

Design Principles and Art Elements

I have a few lessons for this: I use stamp carving in particular as it creates an immediate result. I find that students clue into its simplicity quickly and start to exploit the positive/negative play, which is of course the essence of graphic work.

Personal Creative Agency

Zine making is a key skill: it teaches research, writing, composition, and most importantly, SELF PUBLICATION! I have zine lessons for hand and digital print.

Creative Citizenship of the World: Cause Posters

Cause posters are an essential part of my teaching: I use them to help small groups build consensis, to help individuals craft a message from their hearts, and communities the power to speak truth to power!