Printmaking with Washable Markers

In this activity, you will:

• make your own stamp
• make prints using your stamp

• 30 – 60 mins

• Sharp pencil
• Dull pencil
• Paper
• Cut sheets of Styrofoam to use as foam printing plates (any thickness will do!)
• Washable markers
• A small spray bottle with water

Read How Artists Make Relief Prints

Artists create relief prints by carving images onto a surface, called a plate. They will then add ink to the plate and press it against another surface they wish to print on (such as a piece of paper). A common example of this is a rubber stamp.

The lines the artist carves on the plate become negative space, meaning they do not pick up the ink and do not print. The remaining raised part of the plate (which the artist does not carve) receives the ink. These areas print, creating positive space.

After an artist stamps or prints the image onto paper (or another surface of their choice), they can add more ink to their plate and print again. They can repeat this process until they have a set of images called an edition!

Make a Relief Print!

Follow these steps to create your print using the technique of relief printmaking with washable markers.

Step 1: Sketch Your Design

• Trace the outline of the Styrofoam plate on a piece of paper using a pencil. This will help to make sure that your design fits on the plate.
• Then, sketch the design you plan to print on using your pencil.
• Note that your design will print backward, so if you are including letters, you will have to write them backward!

In this type of printmaking, it can be difficult to print many small details that are very close together. So, try to keep your drawing simple. If you discover your sketch has become too detailed, simplify it by tracing over the main lines with a marker.

Step 2: Carve Your Plate

• Place your sketch next to your plate. Using it as a reference, lightly sketch the design onto the plate with a dull pencil. You might not see the design clearly, but that’s perfectly okay.
• If you make a mistake, just redraw that part. There’s no need to erase it.
• Once you are happy with your design, trace over it with your sharp pencil. Press hard enough that you can easily feel your lines on the foam plate with your finger. However, if you press too hard, you will make a hole through your plate! Once you find the right amount of pressure to use with the pencil on the foam plate, trace over your design 2–3 times to make sure the lines have indented into the foam plate.

Step 3: Make Your Print!

• Place a piece of paper near your plate. Make sure it’s at least as big as your plate or bigger.
• Choose a washable marker and color your plate with it, using the side of the marker to color evenly. Make sure to cover the entire plate!
• Holding the spray bottle with water, spritz it 2–3 times from about 8–12 inches away from the plate. Your entire plate should be moistened as evenly as possible. It should not be so wet that it’s dripping, and it should not have any dry areas. Be careful not to spray your nearby piece of paper.
• Place the plate face down on the paper. Press it firmly, but do not move it around, or the image will smudge. Carefully remove the plate from the paper by pulling it up and away.

Voila! You have your first print.

Troubleshooting

• If there is too much water on the plate, your image may be smudged or difficult to see.
• If there is too little marker or water on the plate, the print will be very light and may also be difficult to see.
• If you moved the plate side to side during printing, it could also make the image look smudged or unclear.

Not every print will turn out, and that’s okay! This is the beauty of printmaking—you can try again and make adjustments each time.

Make More Prints!

You can easily wash your plate with a wet towel or rag, or by running it under a faucet for a few seconds. Dry it with a towel, then repeat the process!

• Experiment with color. If you have more than one color of washable markers, you can try your print in different colors, or even use one color on half of the plate and a different color on the other half.
• Experiment with how much marker you apply.
• You can also try making a “ghost print,” by pressing your freshly printed stamp onto a second piece of paper without cleaning it or adding any more marker. It will print very lightly and may have an interesting, ghost-like effect.

Optional Activity—Number Your Edition

Pick the prints that turned out best. Count them, then number each print with a pencil in the lower corner. If you made 5 prints you like, number them 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 5/5. If you made 10 you like, number them 1/10, 2/10, 3/10… etc.

A numbered set of artworks created using a printmaking technique.

In printmaking, the carved areas of the plate that do not receive ink and do not transfer to another surface.

A surface, such as wood, Styrofoam, linoleum, or metal, that you carve, ink, and then press onto another surface to make a print.

In printmaking, the raised areas of the plate that receives ink and transfers to another surface.

An artwork made by transferring an image from a plate to another surface, such as paper or canvas, using ink or paint.

The process of making art by transferring an image from a plate to another surface, such as paper or canvas, using ink or paint.

A type of print in which the artist cuts or carves away the plate surface, so that the remaining surface becomes inked and is printed, while the areas that were cut away do not pick up and print ink.