Block printing is a process that creates a relief or stamp out of a material, which can be printed again andagain using a medium such as ink. It is an ancient art originating in China, whose applications range from textile design to fine art. One of the most famous examples of printmaking is Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, created in the early 19th century. The sixth grade has been working on a project on block printing that involves carving patterns and shapes and then imagining them in multiple colors and orientations. They started with a single block and designed two different images, one for each side. They then carved their patterns carefully using linoleum block carving tools and made sure to account for different types of lines and areas of negative space. Next came the printing process, which was more of a printing experiment. The students printed each side on top of the other in different colors and with different orientations. The prints were rotated, shadowed, staggered, and flipped. The results are as unique and individual as the students themselves, and all are magnificent.

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