Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today?

I hope you're doing really well and I'm so pleased that you're here.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, and I'm feeling very happy about that because today we're looking at printing, which I love so much.

Our lesson is called Deepening the Understanding of the Principles of Printing.

I wonder if you have much experience of printing.

Wonder if you enjoy printing.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work Foundation Workshops: Developing Skills.

So if you're ready with some energy, focus and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can apply printing principles, including registration and composition, to produce layered prints with precision and creativity.

We have some keywords in our lesson, let's go through them.

Registration and composition.

So what do these keywords mean?

Registration is aligning layers of a print accurately when using multiple colors or block.

And composition, the arrangement of visual elements within an artwork.

These are our keywords: registration and composition.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called Deepening the Understanding of the Principles of Printing, and it has two learning cycles, registration and precision in printing and compositions and creative printing.

Let's begin with registration and precision in printing.

Prints aren't just found in art galleries and shops, they're everywhere from posters to packaging, to T-shirts, clothes, and even money.

Pause here and share with someone something that you can see around you which has been printed.

Thanks for sharing.

And now think about the last item you bought, was it surface printed?

Pause here and share with someone.

The last item I bought was a record, and the record cover was printed.

When printing, it's important for the print to be aligned correctly onto the surface to convey the design clearly or communicate important information.

Would you buy a T-shirt if the design was printed incorrectly?

Pause there and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

If important text isn't printed accurately on an event poster or a road sign, then this could be confusing for those who read it.

To ensure images and text is printed correctly, artists and designers use a process known as registration.

Registration is the process of aligning a printing block or plate with the print surface accurately.

Without registration, prints can appear messy or blurred.

We can see an example of some screen printing taking place on the screen there.

Pause here and share with someone what examples of printing have you explored so far?

Thanks for sharing.

Accurate registration makes designs look crisp and professional, and allows printmakers to use multiple layers or colors in their design.

This is especially important for professional printing, such as book covers or album artworks.

Registration ensures designs look the same on different products.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this print design that we can see on the screen.

Thanks for sharing.

I'm loving all the color and vitality in this image.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What does the term registration mean in printing?

Is it A, the way ink is stored before use, B, the record of all print editions, C, the alignment of multiple layers of a print, or D, the thickness of paper used for printing?

Pause here while you decide what the term registration means in printing.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, the alignment of multiple layers of print is what the term registration means in printing.

Registration lets you explore color layering and experiment with more complex designs without losing clarity.

There are multiple techniques for registration, depending on the printmaking method you're using, but a common one for printing onto paper is the grid technique.

Before we go into the grid technique a little further, pause here and share with someone your impressions of this print that we can see on the screen.

Thanks for sharing.

I like the mixture of detail and clarity.

To use the grid technique, you will need: the paper you will print onto, another larger sheet of paper, the printmaking material, e.

g.

lino or woodblock.

Line up your printing paper onto the largest sheet and draw around it to create an outline, also known as a registration key.

Next, center your printing material within the registration key and draw around the material for another outline.

Use a ruler to measure distances between the edges of your printing paper and your printing material for accuracy.

Now, each time you line up your printing material onto the registration key, it will be in this same position.

When you place your printing paper on top of the registration key, it will also be in the same position.

This means you can edit, develop or change what is on the printing material between each layer of printing.

Note that most printmaking processes such as lino, gel-block or woodblock printing will mirror the design when transferring from the printing material to the printing paper.

You should consider this when creating your compositions and designs to ensure the elements like text or other visuals are placed the right way around.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these printmaking techniques is commonly used for registration printing onto paper?

Is it A, the rinse and repeat technique, B, the heat press technique, C, the fold technique, or D, the grid technique?

Pause here while you decide which of these techniques is commonly used for registration printing onto paper.

Well done if you selected answer D.

Indeed, it's the grid technique which is commonly used for registration printing onto paper.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to create a print using a simple composition of shapes, lines or colors.

Focus on alignment and registration, not perfection of design at this stage.

Pause here while you have a go at this task of creating a print, focusing on alignment and registration.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with your task of creating a print using a simple composition of shapes, lines or colors, focusing on alignment and registration, not perfection of design at this stage?

You might have created something beautiful like this, and you might have said something like this.

Here's Andeep.

"I made this lino print of a flower by cutting out the outline shape and carving textured lines into the lino.

I then inked it and aligned it onto a circle of brown card.

" I think that's really rather effective.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of Andeep's linocut print.

Thanks for sharing.

And now pause here and share with each other your impressions and feedback on each other's prints.

Thanks for sharing with each other.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, compositions and creative printing.

Multi-layered printmaking often begins with lighter colors, before adding darker or contrasting colors.

This makes registration errors easier to spot and correct.

Common mistakes in printing registration include: over-inking causes smudges, misaligned layers causing blur, imprecise marking of registration points, rushing through the process.

Pause here and share with someone, have you ever made any of these common mistakes with your printing registration?

Thanks for sharing.

Discuss with a partner the registration quality in your prints and ways you can improve them if needed.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for having that discussion.

Let's hear from Lucas and Aisha.

Here's Lucas, "I found there was a lot of smudging in my design which blurred the details.

I think I used too much ink on the block and didn't roll it out thin enough.

" And Aisha, "My multi-layer print colors are misaligned.

I think I rushed the process of placing the paper onto the print block.

For the next print, I'll take more time aligning everything.

" I like the sound of that, Aisha.

I think we all need reminders to slow down a little and not rush through things quite so much.

Registration is a key part of printmaking with artists refining their technical skill and incorporating imperfections into their process.

Toshusai Sharaku was a ukiyo-e woodblock printer in Edo-period Japan.

His portraits of kabuki actors often showcase sharp lines and expressive carving, revealing a skilled use of registration in printmaking.

Andy Warhol is considered an icon of Pop Art.

His repetition, layering, and use of registration show how mistakes can become part of a print's impact.

Let's have a check for understanding.

If your two-color print looks blurred or misaligned, what is the most likely cause?

Is it A, too much ink on the roller, B, incorrect registration, C, using the wrong type of paper, or D, not enough pressure when printing?

Pause here while you decide what's the most likely cause of your two-color print looking blurred or misaligned?

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, it's probably incorrect registration that's making your two-color print look blurred or misaligned.

Alongside practicing precision, printmaking skills can be developed by considering composition and negative space.

Composition is how you arrange elements in your design.

Good composition directs the viewer's eyes and creates balance, helping to make your prints look visually striking.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of the composition that we can see on the screen.

How have the elements been arranged in this design?

Thanks for sharing.

Negative space is the area around or between the main shapes in your design.

Using it effectively can make your print bolder and clearer, by helping to define shapes and improve the composition.

Effective use of composition and negative space is a common characteristic of many impactful prints.

Elizabeth Catlett created linocuts which combined bold shapes with strong use of negative space.

Her prints powerfully portrayed identity, womanhood and social justice.

Kathe Kollwitz is known for her expressive woodcuts and etchings.

She used printmaking to depict social struggles and human emotion with stark contrasts and negative space.

Printmaking can be a useful tool for artists to express their experiences.

Wuon-Gean Ho blends traditional and digital printing techniques, creating layered works that explore identity, storytelling and cultural hybridity.

William Blake was a visionary artist and poet.

His prints often explored imagination, myth and spirituality, showing how composition can guide meaning.

His work highlights how printmaking can be deeply personal and expressive.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why is negative space important in print design?

Is A, it helps define shapes and improves composition, B, it reduces the need for ink, C, it ensures prints dry faster, D, it hides mistakes in the design?

Pause here while you decide why negative space is important in print design.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Indeed, negative space is important in print design as it helps define shapes and improves composition.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to create a print which combines multiple uses of the same printing block.

Rotate, re-layer or re-ink your block to create repetition and variation in the composition.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Enjoy your printing, enjoy rotating, re-layering, re-inking, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task, creating a print which combines multiple uses of the same printing block, rotating, re-layering or re-inking your block to create repetition and variation in the composition?

You might have created something wonderful as you can see on the screen, and you might have said something like this, "I carved a map design into my polystyrene board.

I used lime green and black inks, which created a strong contrast in the design.

" I think that's really quite an effective design, and I love the way you've approached this.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions on Laura's process and final outcome.

Thanks for sharing.

And let's take a look at what Andeep has created.

And let's hear from Andeep, "I drew the seaweed onto the polyboard and made my first print in yellow.

It was basic and I needed to make a clearer and bolder print, so I washed off the ink, added some more details into the poly and printed again over the top in blue.

I would still like to add more details.

" Pause here and share with someone your impressions of and Andeep's process and creation.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I'd like you to share your final print with somebody and see if they can work out how you achieved this, what was the process you took to get to your final outcome?

Pause here while you have a go at sharing in this way.

Thanks for sharing.

In our lesson Deepening the Understanding of the Principles of Printing, we've covered the following: printing methods share core principles but create different effects, registration and layering add complexity and precision to designs, compositional choices affect clarity and visual impact.

Thanks so much, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was so great to explore deepening our understanding of the principles of printing together to look at registration and composition and to create something that I hope you're feeling proud of.

I've really enjoyed teaching you.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson too, and look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.