Lynbrook North Middle School seventh graders in Janice Saraiva’s art class were recently introduced to the artistic process of printmaking. Printmaking is the transferring of images, normally to paper or fabric. Lynbrook students are typically introduced to printmaking in eighth grade but Mrs. Saraiva wanted to give her seventh graders a taste of this technique to prepare them for next year and high school art.

The classes were challenged to create a piece of art using one image that reflects popular culture, printed four different times. As inspiration, the students learned about pop art and American artist Andy Warhol who was known for using vibrant colors in his work. Each student picked a different image or logo that could be easily recognizable such as professional sports teams and popular companies. The students printed their image using the computer and traced it onto Styrofoam to create an impression. Using art rollers, they picked different colored ink to transfer their Styrofoam image onto small sheets of paper. Each student practiced making their print several different times and took their best four prints to use for their completed project.