Marvelous Matariki Art

 Kia Ora Bloggers!

For a while now we've been working on some art for the Maori New Year and to represent the Matariki stars.

We did this using foam printmaking, where we drew into the foam, covered it in paint and stamped it on a piece of paper. You had to be very careful when drawing into the foam in a pen or pencil, because every mark and dent would show up in your actual art.

Step 1 : Draw some mountains in reverse on the bottom of a blank piece of paper. Try to keep it in around a third of the paper, we used A4.

Step 2 : Draw dots where the Matariki stars would go, but make sure to reverse where the stars are so when we print it it'll be the right way 'round.

Step 3 : Add swirls around where the stars are, connecting a few of them. This can be hard to do but ends up looking really cool!

Step 4 : Get a piece of foam the same size as your planning paper (so, for us, A4) and transfer the design onto it with a pen or pencil. Be very careful not to dent it or break the foam, and make sure your plan is one you're happy with.

Step 5 : Once you're done drawing, roll some paint onto the foam. Make sure to put on a lot of paint so your design isn't patchy and looks nice and clear. (My design is pretty patchy, but it's the nicest one I made)

Step 6 : If you want to make another one, just run the foam under water (you'll probably need to use your hands aswell) until the paint is off, dry it, and paint again.

This is my one, it's not the best and I haven't done the frame yet, but I think it looks pretty good!

Have you done any foam printmaking before? If you haven't, are you interested in doing it? What designs have you/would you make?

Have an awesome day bloggers, cya!