I so love introducing printmaking to littles! It’s a multi-step process that they engage in quickly and often can begin and complete on their own. 

So what is printmaking? The simple definition is that printmaking is the method of making an image on one surface and transferring it to another surface. Artists have used it for centuries to print books. About 150 years ago, the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec developed printmaking into an art form. His brilliantly colored posters were hung around town to advertise singers and theatre shows. Prior to Lautrec, posters were made individually making them extremely expensive to produce. Lautrec developed a method of making multiple copies of the same image while adding layers of colors. Maybe you’re familiar with this poster advertising Aristide Bruant.

Ok, back to the project! Printmaking with littles. 

1. Mirror 

2. Tempera Paint

3. Paintbrushes

4. Paint Palette (a paper plate works great!)

5. Paper (needs to be bigger than the mirror.)

6. Paper towels, wipes, anything to use for cleaning

7. Art shirt

To get started, let your kiddo choose 2-3 colors of tempera paint for their paint palette. Start using their paint to paint on the mirror. Ask them to finish filling the mirror with paint. 

Hint: This is a great project for using white paint and colored construction paper. Kids love to use white, but are quickly confused when it doesn’t show up. 

When the kiddo is done painting, help them cover the mirror with a large sheet of construction paper. Quickly push the paper flat so that it sticks to the mirror. Show your kiddo how to rub the paper. Rub all over to help the paint transfer to the paper. 

Our favorite is lifting the paper to see our print! (Before I let my kiddo lift her print, I give the paper a quick rub checking all the corners.) These prints are amazing for showcasing brushstrokes (a-hem, otherwise known as......line directions: Up, Down, Left, Right).  

If most of the paint comes off with the print, let your little fill the mirror with paint and repeat the process. If there’s still a bunch of paint left of the mirror, I will rinse it off in the sink and wipe it off with a paper towel so my little is ready for round two.

Some of these beauties end up in frames as gifts or as backgrounds for homemade cards.  

1. Use colors that are side by side on the color wheel. (Green and Blue; Red and Yellow; Purple and Blue)

2. Use a light color of construction paper for printing.

3. Tempera paint is the key! Watercolor will be too translucent and acrylic won’t wash off the mirror.

4. Speed is somewhat a factor. If your little one is still painting the same design 10 minutes later (all moms start laughing), you might find that the dry paint doesn’t print well. 

Did you give the project a try? What did you think? I’d love to hear from you!

Love the idea, but want someone else to run the show? Come to a Mommy and Me Art Playgroup at Yellowbobbypins Art Camp! Each Playgroup has 6 different art centers for littles to explore at their own pace. 

Full disclosure: When you purchase the linked products in the post, Yellowbobbypins receives a small percentage of the purchase. We use those proceeds to try new supplies and purchase cleaning supplies (hahaha!!).