ARTISTIC RUBBER STAMPS
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PROJECT #3----BY SHERRILL KAHN
Create Print Plates

Other completed prints!

HOW TO CREATE WONDERFUL PRINT PLATES
USING FOAM CORE BOARD AND RUBBER BANDS

This project is so easy, you will want to make several. Children also love this project since it is so easy and fun to do. The prints can be done on any surface. "Impress Me" rubber stamps can be added to the prints as borders or as decoration within the prints themselves.

CHILDREN SHOULD BE SUPERVISED!!!

SUPPLIES:

• Piece of foam core board, approximately 4" x 6"

• Large flat rubber bands---four or more

• "Impress Me" - Rubber Stamps

• Any flat surface including teeshirts, fabric, cardstock, wood, metal, ceramic tiles, walls, etc.

• Choose paint appropriate for the surface that you are painting. For fabric I used Jacquard's Neopaque and Jacquard's Lumiere (both light bodied acrylics). For paper I used Delta's Ceramcoat and Jacquard's Neopaque. For painting on unusual surfaces, choose paint compatible with the surface---tile paint for tile, metal paint for metal, acrylics for wood, house paint for walls, etc.

• Hydrophilic sponge cut into 1" squares. The sponges can be purchased at large home improvement warehouses such as Home Depot. They are typically found in the paint and wallpaper departments.

• Freezer paper cut into 12" x 12" squares and rolled the opposite direction of the fold---for a palette

• Plastic to cover your work surface

• Paper towels----fold them in half and have approximately 30

• Large water container
  

PROCESS:

1. Cut a piece of foamcore board approximately 4" x 6". You can do larger or smaller prints if you wish. We will call the foamcore/rubber band piece the print plate in the rest of the process directions.

2. Wrap two to four flat rubber bands around the foamcore board in a diagonal pattern. Be sure to leave a lot of open space between the rubber bands.

3. Lay the surface to be painted face up on your table.

4. Apply paint onto the 12" x 12" freezer paper palette by squeezing the paint from the bottle, or by using a plastic spoon to apply the paint to the palette. Use at least two to three colors and put the colors on top of one another.

5. Take a small hydrophilic sponge and dip it into the paint.

6. Pat the paint onto the print plate, covering it completely.

7. Turn the print plate face down onto the paint surface. If using fabric, flip the fabric to the top and use your fingers to press the fabric onto the print plate. Apply an even pressure to the entire surface of the fabric. If using heavier surfaces such as card stock, wood, or other hard surfaces, press the print plate onto the surface with firm and even pressure.

8. Repeat steps 4 to 7 as needed.

9. Choose "Impress Me" rubber stamps to compliment your prints. To rubber stamp borders, patterns, or designs, apply paint to the rubber stamp exactly like you did to the foamcore printing plate. Apply rubber stamp patterns as needed to the painted project.

10. Dark surfaces are especially dramatic for this process. Using Jacquard's Lumiere paint or light paint colors adds more drama to your finished piece.
    

(Click on the button to view them full sized)

SAMPLES:

This is an example of a piece of foamcore board with the rubber bands around it. I used four separate very large flat rubber bands to create the foamcore print plate.

This is an example of the same piece of foamcore board with paint on it. It is the reverse side of sample one. This shows that both sides of the foamcore board can be used, giving different prints.

This sample shows a black teeshirt with foamcore prints and rubber stamping. The process includes masking off the areas that you wish to leave paint free. I used masking tape to block out areas that I wished to remain black. I also covered the teeshirt with paper towels in the blocked areas. The tape created a border around the foamcore prints and left a space to add metallic threads which were couched onto the teeshirt.

This sample shows a variety of prints using different color combinations on black fabric.

This sample shows two prints done by pressing the fabric onto the print plate and three prints created by pressing the print plate onto the fabric. When using your fingers to press the fabric into the paint, you get a much different effect than if you press the print plate onto the fabric. A rubber stamped border was applied to the fabric.

CREATIVE PROJECTS THAT CAN BE DONE WITH THIS PROCESS:
Since the print plate is inflexible, it must be used on flat surfaces.

1. Covers for books and memory albums.
2. Creative greeting cards.
3. Designs for teeshirts and teeshirt dresses.
4. Designs for pre-constructed garments.
5. Fabric to use in necklaces, pins, etc.
6. Designs on shrink plastic.
7. Designs or multi-surfaces such as ceramic
    tiles, wooden boxes, metal pieces, etc. 

Use your imagination when using this fun, easy and gorgeous process. Have fun!!!

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