Relief is the oldest form of printmaking. In relief classes, students use a sharp tool to carve away areas of a block made out of an easy-to-carve rubber material called Soft Kut. The printed lines of a relief print are often bold, and the use of positive and negative space is very important when composing the design. Ink is applied to the block after it is carved. A student uses a brayer or a roller to apply a thin, even coating of ink to the block. The image is transferred onto paper by rubbing the back of the paper with a rubbing tool called a barren.
Concepts learned during this project include:
Use of positive and negative space
How to use block-cutting tools successfully and safely
Using brayers to ink the blocks
Transferring the image onto paper by hand-burnishing
Color theory through color mixing
Composition
Relief classes are 2 hours in length and can be extended to 3 hours. Each student will receive a 4” by 6” inch Soft Kut carving block to make their print. Students can carve both sides of the block and can expect to make 3-5 prints. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
$10 per participant, with a maximum of 30 students. Scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis for schools, with 40% or more students qualifying for free and reduced lunch.
If you are looking for information or to schedule a class, please contact education@highpointprintmaking.org
