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Year 3

Insect printmaking: block print

I can create an insect block print.

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New
New
Year 3

Insect printmaking: block print

I can create an insect block print.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Block printing is a form of relief printmaking.
  2. Carving a design into a printing plate creates a reusable stamp for block printing.
  3. Applying ink evenly using a roller and pressing the inked block firmly onto paper creates a clear and bold print.

Keywords

  • Print/ printing - a way of making a copy of something

  • Roller (brayer) - a tool used to spread ink evenly

  • Carving - removing parts of the surface to create a design

  • Negative space - areas carved away that remain unprinted

Common misconception

Pupils may think that all parts of the plate will print.

Show and remind pupils that only the raised parts of the plate will print, and the carved parts will stay blank.


To help you plan your year 3 art and design lesson on: Insect printmaking: block print, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

These next two printing lessons can be combined and delivered in one afternoon session for a more continuous creative flow.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Roller, printing ink, printing tray, polystyrene foam plate, scissors, newspaper, paper towels.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Monoprinting is .
colouring with crayons
drawing the same picture many times
Correct answer: making one unique print using marks or lines
cutting and sticking paper shapes
Q2.
What makes a monoprint unique?
Correct answer: Every print is a little bit different and one of a kind
It’s easy to erase mistakes
You can only use pencils to make it
You can draw it over and over again
Q3.
Which of these materials could help create interesting texture in a monoprint?
A smooth glass sheet
A flat plastic ruler
Correct answer: A piece of lace or sponge
A crayon
Q4.
Who is Sarah Gillespie?
A photographer who takes pictures of cities
Correct answer: A British artist who creates detailed prints of insects and nature
A painter who only uses bright colours
A sculptor who builds large animal models
Q5.
What could you use to create textured prints?
Correct answer: cotton buds
Correct answer: a finger
Correct answer: rubber
Correct answer: tissue or tissue paper
glue
Q6.
Match the technique or tool with its purpose:
Correct Answer:Texture,Adds raised or rough areas to the print

Adds raised or rough areas to the print

Correct Answer:Roller (Brayer),Helps spread the ink onto the surface evenly

Helps spread the ink onto the surface evenly

Correct Answer:Drawing tool,Presses shapes or details onto the paper from behind

Presses shapes or details onto the paper from behind

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is block printing?
Drawing directly onto paper with a pencil
Cutting out a shape and gluing it to a page
Correct answer: Pressing a carved block with ink onto paper to make a print
Folding paper to make a butterfly shape
Q2.
What does carving mean in block printing?
Colouring with pencils
Rolling ink over a picture
Correct answer: Cutting away parts of the block to make a design
Gluing paper onto the block
Q3.
What does the roller (brayer) do in block printing?
It cuts the paper for printing
Correct answer: It spreads ink evenly onto the block
It presses the block onto the paper
It carves the design into the block
Q4.
To carve your design into the foam printing plate you should use a:
Correct answer: Blunt pencil
Sharp pencil
Crayon
Q5.
What do we call the areas in a print where there is no ink?
Correct Answer: negative space
Q6.
Put these steps in the correct order to create a block print of an insect:
1 - Carve the insect design into the block
2 - Roll ink over the carved block
3 - Press the block onto the paper