Foam Print Making

I've been wanting to experiment with several techniques for print making. This idea came from a site that uses a softer foam (like meat tray foam) - sorry, I don't remember the site where I read the original idea. I don't have a lot of those meat trays and I don't really like to use meat trays with the kids. So, I thought maybe we could do something similar with the kid's craft foam.

We started by using small rectangular pieces of foam (I chose small to make it easier when making the print and I wanted the width of the rubber brayer I used to cover it in one roll - although this isn't necessary). We used golf tees to draw our image into the foam. At first, we pressed hard to make sure the imprint would show - this resulted in thick lines. I tried it again by just marking the top normally and it worked just as well.

This project was great for both my kids (3 and 6) - and it was addicting. I used just one color for the paint and I applied the paint while they helped to push the image into paper. Getting a thin and even distribution of paint was important.

I later experimented a bit with my own drawings and found this technique difficult to add details that I wanted. However, this technique is perfect for the kids the end result was immediate and the thin layer of paint dried quickly. The cards make note cards and wrote letters - Robbie chose his daddy and Lyssie wrote to her Grandma.

It was a fun and not so messy project. We'll definitely be doing it again as it uses things that we regularly have around the house.