Activity 6 - Creating a pinhole camera

Activity six - Creating a pinhole camera (Photography)

What is Photography? -
Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor.

In this Photography activity we will be looking closely at producing inexpensive hand printed black and white photography without the use of expensive camera's and photographic enlargers.

What is a pinhole camera? -
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture — effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box.

The principle of a pinhole camera

What you will need:

• two small cardboard boxes that are the same size
• Black paint
• A pin
• Aluminium foil
• Grease proof paper
• Black electrical tape
• Scissors

How to construct a pinhole camera:

·         Paint the insides of both boxes black.

·         When they're dry, cut a small square in the centre of one side of the first box. Using a pin, make a small hole in the aluminium foil. Tape the foil on the side of the box so the pinhole is in the centre of the square you cut out. Cut off the opposite end of the box and stick a piece of greaseproof paper over it, making sure it's stuck tightly without any creases.

·         Cut out another small square in one end of the second box, just big enough to look through. Next, cut off the opposite end of the second box. Use tape to attach the open end of the second box to the greaseproof paper end of the first box. Look through the viewing hole at the greaseproof paper. Use tape to cover any holes that allow light to leak through into the box from anywhere other than the pinhole and viewing hole.

·         Take your pinhole 'camera' outside and look through the viewing hole. You should be able to see the world upside down on the greaseproof paper. If you can't see anything, try making the hole a bit bigger until you get an image on the paper. Experiment with different sized holes to find out which size gives the best effect. The hole is called the aperture: the bigger the aperture, the brighter the image. But as it gets bigger, the picture gets more out of focus.

Hand made pinhole camera

Photography can be a very expensive subject for most schools. Many schools have eliminated dark rooms from their schools due to the costs of keeping them up and running. However i believe dark room photography is an essential building block and a great way for students to understand the functions of a camera and the developing process of a photo.

A great activity that is cost effective and easy to execute for students is the building of a pinhole camera. The materials used to create a pinhole camera cost next to nothing and can usually be found in and around the art room. The only costly item for this activity is the photographic paper and chemicals that used to develop the photographic paper. Photographic paper and chemicals can be purchased at the photographic company known as Vanbar which is located at Lygon St Carlton.

What types of paints should i buy for my students?

Paint is a very versatile medium that comes in many different colours and brands. Paint is often broken down into two types of qualities known as Artists quality and Student quality.

Many schools Art teachers are often faced with the tough decisions of which quality and brand of paint to purchase for their students. Due to paint being used quiet substantially in most Art rooms i recommend buying a class set of student quality acrylic paints. Student quality paint should be used in the younger year from Years 7 - 10. An ideal water based student quality paint to purchase is the brand known as Chromacryl.

Since 1964 Chromacryl students' acrylic set the standard for high quality school paint. That standard has now been raised even further with the introduction of an even thicker paint formula and redesigned packaging.

Chromacryl's range of 30 vibrant colours, combined with the Chroma Commonsense Colour System based on warm and cool primary colours, allows your students to mix virtually any colour.

Chromacryl's large variety of student paints

For Art and Studio art VCE students i recommend using artist quality acyclic and oil paints. Oil paints can get very pricey especially for the high end imported brands. I recommend using the brand Art Spectrum which is one of Australia's leading fine art paint manufactures. Art spectrum paints are ideal for VCE students, although they are not too expensive they are considered to be of artist quality. They can be purchased at all the leading art suppliers such as Zart Art, Deans Art and Eckersley's. Be sure to buy in bulk and look out for the cheapest price. Vegetable oil can be used as an oil paint thinner and cleaner but if your students want a particular look Art Spectrum have a variety of mediums to choose from at affordable prices.

Art Spectrum Oil paints

Resources - Art supply stores

Suggested Art supply stores in Melbourne include -

1. Zart Art
2. Deans Art
3. Riot Art and Craft
4. Melbourne Etching Supplies (Printmaking specialist)
5. Neils Art Supplies (Printmaking specialist)
6. Reverse Garbage Ringwood
7. Local supermarkets
8. Op shops - Smith St and Brunswick St

These are just a selection of some of Melbourne leading Art supplies stores. It is essential that you look around at different stores to find the best price on a product. Make sure you try to buy in bulk as you will save a lot of money in the long run!

Activity 5 - Canvas painting using alternative materials

Activity five - Canvas painting using alternative materials

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface (support base). The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects may be used. In art the term describes both the act and the result which is called a painting.

Painting is an important part in many schools art departments and has been for many years. Painting is the foundation and starting point for many art activities. In this entry i hope to share with you some alternative methods of painting which the students should enjoy and most importantly save money in order for our students to be able to use these materials throughout their education.

Canvas alternative:
Canvas is a very pricey material and can put a damper on many schools art budgets. Most high schools I've seen and taught at have a large selection on canvas frames and canvas for students. But many schools struggle to purchase canvas in their art budgets. An alternative method is to use large sheets of cardboard or MDF and seal them using a gesso primer. Cardboard is a great alternative especially for the junior levels it adds natural textures to the work and can be purchased cheaply or next to nothing from the local supermarkets.  MDF can also be a great alternative to canvas and once primed gives you a smooth crisp surface to paint on. Large thin sheets of MDF can be purchased at a hardware store for next to $3 an A2 sheet making it ideal for schools to purchase.

MDF "Priming for painting"

Cardboard painting by student

Activity 4 - mono printing

Printmaking activity four mono printing

Printmaking can be a very costly medium to work with in schools due to extensive range of materials such as inks, cooper plates, rollers, papers etc need to create a print. But in this activity I am going to demonstrate and share ideas on how to cut down printmaking costs and still produce wonderful mono prints.

Mono print using oil paint

What you will need:

• A2 size sheet of glass, this can be a recycled piece of glass
• Oil paints
• Vegetable oil
• Paint brushes
• 200gsm cartridge paper
• Printing baren's

Mono prints are known as the most painterly method among the printmaking techniques, a monoprint is a non editionable kind of print and is essentially a printed painting.

Mono printing is the cheapest and most interesting form of printmaking. By using a sheet of glass or perspex this becomes your plate for your print as well as your press. Due to many schools not having access and funds to purchase a printing press the mono print method works just as well without the use of one. By purchasing a large sheet of either glass or pelxi glass from reverse cycle gargbage which will cost next to nothing this becomes the mono printing plates for the students as well as the inking up area.

Oil paints are an essential item for mono printing and are used to create your image onto the glass. Like i mentioned in the previous activity cheap oil paints from a local two dollar shop should work fine and can be thinned out using vegetable oil allowing for miminal oil paint usage each print.

Vegetable oil is a great alternative than using turpentine or other expensive oil paint thinners. It is cheap and non-toxic, which is ideal when working with students in a minimum, ventilated area. Vegetable oil helps clean the oil paint up and can be used as a thinner also. These can be purchased at any supermarket it is ideal to purchase them in larger containers which will save your school money in the long run.

Paint brushes can be very costly when it comes to using oil paint and students. I advise other fellow teacher to put aside a bunch of brushes ranging in size in a container and label them as the class oil paint brushes this way students can only damage those brushes if they fail to clean the oil paint of the ends of the brushes.

Instead of using expensive printmaking papers, which can cost up to $8 - 10 a sheet, I recommend using 200gsm cartridge paper. It is essential to purchase thicker cartridge paper, as it helps soak up the oil paints better and is ideal for when you need to soak the paper before printing. Make sure to purchase cartridge paper in bulk as this helps reduce costs. Also look out for art stores mid and end of year paper sales you can save between 30 - 40% off paper at these sales.

Printing baren's are ideal for mono printing when you do not have access to a printing press at your school. The role of a baren is to assist you in printing your matrix. It enables you to transfer your plate to paper using minimal friction. I recommend for schools to purchase at least 5- 6 class barens. Three of the barens should be large and three small catering for prints of all sizes. Speed ball in block 4 make an amazing baren and they last for years if looked after properly they can be bough at Deans art, Riot art supplys and Zart Art.

These are just a few cost effective ways of how to handle manage your art budget whilst teaching the students the art of mono printing. Feel free to add comments or more suggestions!

Activity 3 - Lino cuts

Printmaking activity three - Lino Prints

Printmaking can be a very costly medium to work with in schools due to extensive range of materials such as inks, cooper plates, rollers, papers etc need to create a print. But in this activity I am going to demonstrate and share ideas on how to cut down printmaking costs and still produce wonderful lino prints.

Lino Print "Look at all the mark making"

 Lino Printing or Lino Cutting as it is also known is a block printing technique.  Lino printing is quite a simple process and as a result is it widely used in schools.  It is a great way to introduce students to the art of printmaking.

What you will need:

• Lino cutting tools
• Lino blocks
• Rollers
• Black inks
• 200gsm cartridge paper

Lino cutting  tools are an essential part of this printmaking medium they are the source that create the lines, marks and texture on the lino block. Although lino cutting tools can be quiet costly i recommend purchasing class sets they come in sets of 10 and offer a variety of different cutting sizes and shapes ideal for beginners and experts. You can purchase these through Zart or Deans Art. Once you purchase your class sets of lino tools it is essential that you maintain the blades by sharpening then once every couple months to ensure they last.

Lino blocks are the foundation for your print. They are a rubbery like surface that can be cut into using lino cutting tools. There are a range of lino surfaces that can be purchased, silk cut being the top of the range and the most pricey to other no name brands. I recommend purchasing a rubber like lino block from Deans art they are ideal for beginners and cost roughly $5 an A4 sheet. Make sure to buy in bulk as its much cheaper its always good to stock up for next year also!

Rollers can be the most expensive part to lino printing. Rollers can range anywhere between over $100 to $20. Rollers in schools however are often left uncleaned by students causing them to age quickly. I recommend purchasing a number of $20 rollers from Zart Art and these should be used only for the younger students years 7 - 9. I would also purchase 3 -5 good quality rollers from Melbourne etching supplies and only allow the senior students access to these which will hopefully prevent damage to the rollers.

Lino printing inks can also get quiet expensive especially for the good quality inks. I would recommend purchasing only primary water based coloured lino inks. They are easy to clean water wash up and are toxic free. Make sure to store them in a safe cool cupboard to prevent the inks from drying out.

 Instead of using expensive printmaking papers, which can cost up to $8 - 10 a sheet, I recommend using 200gsm cartridge paper. It is essential to purchase thicker cartridge paper, as it helps soak up the inks better. Make sure to purchase cartridge paper in bulk as this helps reduce costs. Also look out for art stores mid and end of year paper sales you can save between 30 - 40% off paper at these sales.

These are just a few cost effective ways of how to handle manage your art budget whilst teaching the students lino prints. Feel free to add comments or more suggestions!

Activity 2 - Collographs

Activity 2 – Collographs

Printmaking activity two Collographs

Printmaking can be a very costly medium to work with in schools due to extensive range of materials such as inks, cooper plates, rollers, papers etc need to create a print. But in this activity I am going to demonstrate and share ideas on how to cut down printmaking costs and still produce wonderful collograph prints.

What you will need:

·     Card board which will form the basis for the collograph plates

·     PVA glue

·    Collage materials such as scrap paper, beads, foil, saw dust etc

·    Shellac flakes and mentholated spirits

• Paper 200gsm cartridge paper
• Oil paints
• House brushes
• Vegetable oil
  

Collograph printmaking is one of the most enjoyable and inexpensive mediums to work with.  Collograph printmaking is a very simple form of printmaking using found materials that are arranged in collage form. It is a great medium to work with, as it is an instant process that offers students great results.

Cardboard will form the basis for a collograph plate. Cardboard is lightweight and an inexpensive medium to use within schools.  Old boxes, scraps of cardboard can be used as a collograph plate. I recommend going down to a local supermarket and asking them nicely if you can take some of their unwanted cardboard boxes. This can save you time and money. However if it is difficult for you to find old scraps of cardboard the other alternative is to purchase a bulk order of reinforced board from Zart Art although this is not the cheapest method.   

PVA glue is an essential item for this task as it binds all the collage objects onto the cardboard plate. I recommend for schools to purchase a large bulk container of PVA glue around 5 kg. This way the teacher can fill up small containers and they can be distributed around the class when needed. Buying in bulk always saves money. Another alternative is to water down your PVA this way it will last longer.

Collage materials are the least expensive item for this task. Collage items can range from anything such as string, buttons, and scraps of paper, foil, saw dust etc. My recommendation is to ask students to find scraps lying around the home that they would like to use for their collograph plates. Furthermore a teacher can begin to collect old used scraps of paper; string etc in a tub and students can have access to these when they construct their collograph plates.  The Op shop can be another alternative to find interesting cheap collage items.

Shellac is used as a sealant layer to protect collage materials when printing. I recommend for teachers to purchase a container of shellac flakes and a bottle of mentholated spirits from a hardware store. This is a much cheaper alternative than buying pre mixed shellac from an art store. This way you can mix up your own shellac, as the students require it.

 Instead of using expensive printmaking papers, which can cost up to $8 - 10 a sheet, I recommend using 200gsm cartridge paper. It is essential to purchase thicker cartridge paper, as it helps soak up the oil paints better. Make sure to purchase cartridge paper in bulk as this helps reduce costs. Also look out for art stores mid and end of year paper sales you can save between 30 - 40% off paper at these sales.

Oil paints are used instead of traditional printmaking inks when printing collographs. Although oil paints can be pricey for this task we will not need to spend an extensive amount of dollars to achieve excellent results. I recommend travelling to a two-dollar shop and purchasing your oil paints from there. Although the pigments might not be as good of quality they are best suited for collograph printing. While you are there it is also useful to purchase a variety of house brushes, as these are ideal to applying the oil paint to your collograph plates. They range from $3 – 5 for a brush.

Vegetable oil is a great alternative than using turpentine or other expensive oil paint thinners. It is cheap and non-toxic, which is ideal when working with students in minimum, ventilated area. Vegetable oil helps clean the inks up and can be used as a thinner also.

These are just a few cost effective ways of how to handle manage your art budget whilst teaching the students collographs. Feel free to add comments or more suggestions!



Collograph print





Activity 1 - Dry point etching

Printmaking activity one Dry point etching -

Printmaking can be a very costly medium to work with in schools due to extensive range of materials such as inks, cooper plates, rollers etc need to create a print. But in this activity i am going to demonstrate and share ideas on how to cut down printmaking costs and still produce a wonderful dry point etching.

What you will need:

• A4 size clear acid tat sheets 2mm thickness
• Etching needles or any sharp object such as a nail which will be used to scratch into the acid tat
• One container of black etching ink which can be shared around the class
• Old recycled Yellow pages books used to wipe the ink into the scratched out lines
• 200gsm cartridge paper used for printing the plates onto
• Vegetable oil for cleaning up

In using an A4 clear size sheet of acid tat as an etching plate rather than a cooper plate you can cut down on costs immensely. These clear acid tat sheets can be purchased in bulk from any office works or office supply store. The acid tat sheets works as a temporary etching plate which will allow the students to print a maximum of 3-4 prints before the plate begins to subside.

If your school cannot afford a class set of etching needles a great alternative is to kindly ask the wood technology teacher to kindly make some up using a wooden dowel and a nail. This will act as etching needle but can be time consuming to make. Most art stores usually stock a cheaper alternative etching needle and i advise you to purchase at least 10 of these they usually retail for around $2.50 each. 

By purchasing a bulk size tub of oil based etching ink you are able to cut down costs and limit the usage of ink used by placing the required amount of ink out when the students require it this enables the teacher to be aware of the amount of ink being used each lesson and prevents student wastage. Only a small amount of ink is required for printing such small plates.

It is essential to have at least one or two yellow pages books whilst printing dry point etchings yellow pages are used to wipe of excess ink off the plates. I cheap way to acquire some yellow pages for your art department is to post an add in the weekly newsletter as i am sure many parents have spare old copies lying around the home.

Instead of using expensive printmaking papers which can cost up to $8 - 10 a sheet i recommend using 200gsm cartridge paper. It is essential to purchase thicker cartridge paper as pre-soaking the paper before printing is a must to achieve an clear even print. Make sure to purchase cartridge paper in bulk as this helps reduce costs. Also look out for art stores mid and end of year paper sales you can save between 30 - 40% off paper at these sales.

Vegetable oil is a great alternative than using turpentine or other expensive oil paint thinners. It is cheap and non toxic which is ideal when working with students in minimum ventilated area. Vegetable oil helps clean the inks up and can be used as a thinner also.

These are just a few cost effective ways of how to handle manage your art budget whilst teaching the students dry point etching. Feel free to add comments or more suggestions!

Dry point etching using an acid tat plate