Flower Prints

Today Nathan’s Year Three and Four class visited me in the art room. The focus today was to create prints of flowers loosely based on the works of Georgia O’Keefe. To start the day we looked at examples of O’Keefe’s flower paintings and discussed her artistic style.

The students then chose where to begin their work for the day, either at the dyeing table or at the sketching table. At the sketching table the students drew pictures of flowers from a still life arrangement, paying particular attention to look close up at the flowers just like O’Keefe did. At the dyeing table the students used hot or cold coloured dyes to create beautiful backgrounds for their prints.

The students transferred the flower sketches onto polystyrene board. I use polystyrene printing blocks with the students because they are easier and safer than lino boards for younger artists. The students then printed black ink over top of the dyed backgrounds that we made at the beginning of the day. I am very pleased with the independence and confidence that the students showed when making their prints. I’m looking forward to displaying these beautiful prints around the school.