Love, Neffie: DIY Styrofoam Plate Printing

Now that finals were conquered with blood, sweat and tears, it's time for another update.
DIY Prints! 2 kinds!
Get stoked homie.

Towards the end of spring quarter, Courtney and I participated in a Community Arts Festival put on by the music director of my a'cappella group, Shane. We ran a table that taught children how to make simple prints. But, it's not just for children, real life adults can do this, too.
Here's what we did.
Photo creds to Courtney.
(Just can't get enough of that girl.)

DIY PRINTS

NEEDS:

styrofoam plate
pencil
acrylic paint
paper
paint rollers
scissors
metal spoon or awl

Relief Prints

First, get some styrofoam plates or squares. If you get plates, cut around the outside so that you have a flat circle.

Draw a design in the plate with your pencil, making sure to press down hard so that the indentations are deep enough to resist paint later.

NOTE: Anything you draw in your plate will be BACKWARDS when you print it, so if you want to write something, keep this in mind! It must be backwards!

Pick some paint. Roll your roller with paint. Roll the paint over your etch. If paint gets inside your etchings, you can quickly remove it by dragging your pencil through the grooves to pull out the paint.

Quickly and carefully take your plate and press it paint side down onto the paper of your choosing. Using the handle of an awl or a metal spoon, press down hard on all areas of your plate. Gently peel off afterwards.

Relief Print!

Monotype Prints

Cut a circle out of your styrofoam plate so that you have a flat circle.

Roll paint onto your plate.

Taking a pencil, draw an image relatively quickly on the plate.

Take your plate and place it paint side down onto the paper of your choosing and using the handle of an awl or a metal spoon, press down hard on all areas of your plate, then gently peel off.

Monotype print!

NOTE: Don't do what I did and pick a paint and paper color that muddles the design because the colors are so closely related. Oops.

And...there you have it.
Here are some close ups of my prints including a re-do of the monotype and an extra special bonus picture of me with Courtney because I know how much everyone loves a good picture of Courtney.