By Meredith Brustlin, CMNH Educator

This printmaking is so fun and easy to do with materials you probably already have at home! The best part is it can be done over and over again with very little clean-up in between! Here’s how to get started:

Materials Needed:

• Piece of paperboard (like a cereal box) or cardboard, slightly bigger than an average piece of paper (10in X 12in-ish)
• Piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to cover the paper/cardboard. If needed, you can use two seperate pieces to cover the board
• Tape
• Acrylic or tempera paint
• Cardstock, printer, or construction paper
• A paintbrush
• Q-tips
• Paper towels or old kitchen rags

Directions (prep):

• Make your printing board
  • Cut your piece of paper/cardboard to the appropriate size
  • Cover with aluminum foil
  • Fold the foil over the piece of cardboard and tape on the back so it does not move around
• Prep/gather paint, brushes, q-tips, paper towels, etc

Directions (activity):

• Drizzle a small amount of paint onto your printing board
  • NOTE: Start with quite a small amount, you do not want too much paint on there for this activity--you can always add a bit more!
• Use the paintbrush to spread it out across the printboard so it is completely covered
• Use q-tips to quickly draw designs and pictures directly into the paint
  • NOTE: Do this fast! Since you are using such a small amount of paint, it will dry quickly
• Place a piece of paper onto the painted printboard and gently press down
• Peel away to reveal your print!
• Use a damp paper towel to clean your printboard, dry it off, and try again!