Inspiration:
The thinking for this project began with reflection on high-school-level printmaking in terms of composition and subject matter, where I had noticed a rather static quality. The initial idea began by thinking of ways to encourage students' greater understanding of movement and how to create it. The goal was for students to create a sense of movement or energy in their subject selections as well as in printmaking technique.

Visual Problem:
Students will choose a single subject that expresses the visual quality of movement and develop that understanding in an overprinted image.

Materials:
newsprint paper and print making paper
linoleum block or flexible printing plate (6" X 6")
(4" X 6") (6" X 8")
a variety of gouging tools
Portfolio Series printers ink
six inch brayers, wooden spoons, barens
press (optional)

Resources:
The Complete Manual of Relief Printmaking by Katie Clemson and Rosemary Simmons, Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York
The History of Prints and Printmaking From Durer to Picasso, American Heritage Press ( a division of McGraw-Hill Book Company,New York)
Color Woodblock Printmaking (The Traditional Method of Ukiyo-e) by Margaret M. Kanada,Published by Shufunotomo Co., Ltd. Also share other examples of Japanese block prints for their overall quality and their numerous layers of overprinted color. Example: Fuji and the Wave, by Hokusai for Thirty-six Views of Fuji, 1823

Process:
Share several examples of printmaking that show movement. Point out how some aspects of the composition or technique enhance qualities of movement or energy in the subject. Examples included looking at the placement or angle of the subject, contrast or change in density of the color, or any additional directional lines that were added to enhance movement.

Students then select a subject that they feel offers a quality of movement. Discuss activities such as skiing, skate boarding, in-line skating, snow boarding, biking, etc. They could also look at moving objects such as cars, planes, or the space shuttle. Encourage students to acquire visual reference material for their chosen subject matter yet understand this is not for tracing purposes.

Students are given a precut sheet of newsprint paper, the size of the printing plate, for a rough drawing of their chosen subject. This basic line drawing establishes placement of the subject and overall composition.

Have students transfer their developed image onto the plate using pencil, either free hand or by tracing. As students handle the plate, the pencil lines can easily be smudged so a fine line permanent marker or ball point pen can help. The marker is used before the gouging process is begun.

Discuss safety concerns regarding gouging tools before beginning this process. Always direct the tool away from the hand holding the plate. Instruct students to turn the plate rather than the tool. Too often the tool can be directed to the opposite hand and any slip of the tool has the potential to create an injury. Also the tool needs to glide across the plate, gouging a relatively shallow depth.

Students can begin the gouging process by removing any lines or shapes they wish to remain unprinted. All gouged lines or shapes will remain the color of the paper in the first printing, since a thin layer of ink is applied to the surface and the gouged areas retain no ink. Students need to realize that even distribution of ink on the brayer will allow even distribution on the plate, and that thin and even layers of printer's ink will produce good print results in overprinting. After an even layer of ink is rolled onto the plate, a sheet of thin printing paper is carefully placed on the inked plate. A wooden spoon or baren is used to apply pressure to the paper, as an alternative to using a printing press. The paper can be lifted carefully to check to see if enough ink is applied before the print is actually pulled. Additional ink can be added to the plate, carefully avoiding the brayer from coming in contact with the printed image.

A series of at least five single color prints are pulled before additional gouging. For overprinting, encourage students to gouge and thoughtfully remove a generous amount of the plate before the second printing. Instruct students that the direction of the gouging will enhance the sense of created movement. This process will produce a even greater sense of movement in the final overprinted image. A second mixed color is evenly applied to the surface of the plate. The first print is carefully aligned before pressure is applied, and the printed image is pulled for the second time.

Students can choose to gouge and remove even more of their plate and overprint a third time if the ink is thin enough in the first two layers. Their best three prints are submitted for evaluation.

Student Choices:
subject matter
color and number of overprints

Evaluation:
Ask students:
What was learned about the placement of the subject to increase the concept of movement?
Which images from the class demand the most attention? Why?
Which of your prints show the most movement and how was that visually accomplished?

Time:
Total of 10 (46 min. classes)
2 classes: introduction, preliminary drawing, transferring image to the plate
2 classes for the initial gouging
2 classes to pull five single color prints
2 classes to continue to gouge more of the subject matter
2 classes to overprint

Results and Observations:
Most students found the problem of movement to be conceptually challenging initially, yet easier than expected in its application. Students realized that diagonal placement of the subject, combined with directional gouging, offered a greater sense of energy and movement in their subject.

The subject matter created by the students was varied and visually engaging.

One Vietnamese student reflected on his home land by selecting cranes in flight to create his overprinted image. Another student selected a super sonic jet because his father was a jet pilot. Many others chose subjects based on their own interests such as, skiing, karate, and skate boarding.

Conclusion:
As this idea evolved, one can see the potential for greater visual fluidity in expressing a subject through printmaking. This process increased the students' perception and awareness of composition and placement of subject matter. These realizations, combined with thoughtful printmaking technique, created visual movement in their chosen subject. Personalized mixed color added to the overall richness of the imagery. The combination of factors created prints that were far less static and far more visually engaging than previously seen.

National Standard:
Create art works that use organizational principles and functions to solve specific visual arts problems