Gelatin Monoprints
During the "Art on Saturdays" program, students (ages 7-12) spent two weeks exploring the medium of gelatin monoprints. I used styrofoam meat trays and filled them with unflavored Jell-O to create DIY gelatin printing plates for each student.
In the first week of the session, the students were given an array of materials (leaves, pinecones, shells, trash, q-tips, plastic wrap, spoons, knives, poker chips, bubble wrap, mesh, coins, etc) and were asked to experiment and discover which textures made interesting patterns. In the second week, students were prompted to use the same collected objects (as well as some new animal stencils) and focus more on the composition of their prints. Each of the students signed and titled their prints, following the same template as professional printmakers, which empowered the students and brought lively new meaning to their monoprints. The students' gelatin monoprints were shown at the culminating program exhibition at Castle Hill Center for the Arts.
