Maia and I made some more Christmas cards together by printing with styrofoam — the first activity on our advent calendar.
This was our second attempt at how to do styrofoam printing — this time we were much more successful! The materials make all the difference!
We used printing ink instead of tempera paint, a proper brayer instead of a paint roller, and thicker styrofoam (from a meat tray) instead of a thin styrofoam plate.
Here’s a video showing Styrofoam Printing in action! And don’t forget to keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions on how to use this fun technique to make festive Christmas cards.
How To Do Styrofoam Printing With Kids
MATERIALS
- Thin paper, such as copy or printer paper, for the initial drawing
- Pencil
- Styrofoam (we used pieces cut out from the bottom of meat trays, but you can also buy styrofoam sheets specifically for printmaking)
- Water-based printing ink
- An acrylic box frame or a plate (for spreading ink)
- A hard rubber brayer
- White paper (we used watercolor paper this time but often use a smoother paper such as sulphite paper)
- Spoon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut paper
To begin, cut the thin paper to be the same size as the styrofoam sheet you’ll print with.
- Draw design on paper
Then, draw a picture on the thin paper first. This step is optional, but it means you can draw a few different designs before choosing which one you want to print. It also makes it easier for younger children to transfer their image to the styrofoam.
Maia made a couple of small drawings to use for her prints, a sun and a “Christmas octopus”. - Trace drawing
Hold the drawing in place over the piece of styrofoam and trace the drawing with a pencil. You can also use the pointy end of a paint brush, a chopstick or something similar. Press down firmly, but evenly while tracing the image.
- Assemble printmaking materials
Gather together a brayer, an acrylic box frame (we use the same one for monoprinting — these are so useful!), two colors of block printing ink, blank cards (watercolor paper folded over), a spoon, and the styrofoam plates (drawings).
- Ink the brayer
Squeeze some ink onto the plexi frame and spread it around with the brayer. Once the brayer is coated with an even layer of ink, roll it over your styrofoam drawing.
- Print the design on paper
Position the styrofoam on top of the paper or card and use a spoon to rub over the paper to help transfer the design.
- Let dry
Either lay your prints out to dry, or hang them using clothespins like we did.
Et voila! Many styrofoam printed suns and Christmas octopuses (octopi?).
This was so gratifying and fun that I wish we had learned how to do styrofoam printing long ago! With the right materials.
Our brayer is an old one that my Grandma passed on to me, but you can buy them at art supply stores or on Amazon.
MORE IDEAS FOR HANDMADE CHRISTMAS CARDS
- Sticker Resist Starry Night Holiday Cards
- Handmade Christmas Cards with DIY Glitter Tape
- Why We Still Send Holiday Cards in the Age of Facebook (and 5 ways to do holiday cards)
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21 Comments
Our Cozy Little Book and Art Corner
December 3, 2009 at 9:27 amvery cool! I need to check into getting printing supplies did you get it a craft supply store or art supply?
Sandi
December 3, 2009 at 11:59 amThis is fantastic! What a great idea to use styrofoam. And the suns and octopuses are so fun.
The Artful Parent
December 3, 2009 at 12:07 pmOne that sells both. If you had to choose, though, I’d look at the art supply store.
molly
December 3, 2009 at 2:41 pmThese turned out so beautifully. I can’t wait to try it.
Parents' ideas
December 3, 2009 at 3:25 pmIt’s so cool you tried styrofoam printing on the sheets of paper of different colour! The black one on green looks very interesting.
Anastasia
Goddess Leonie
December 3, 2009 at 4:25 pmoh this is completely glorious… i love this!
Lucia
December 3, 2009 at 4:30 pmHobby Lobby used to carry the ink and brayers (at least they did six months ago) in their art supply section.
Lucia
December 3, 2009 at 4:40 pmCan it get any better than a Christmas octopus?! Those are so great. We did the same thing last year for our holiday cards and I have been saving meat trays in hopes of doing it again this year. Something so satisfying and fun about seeing the images emerge on each card. Here’s what ours looked like last year. We used acrylic paint so I will be eager to try block printing ink.
https://bagelsandcrawfish.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-thoughts.html
Lisa
December 3, 2009 at 9:15 pmWhat a great idea! So fun, so rewarding, and … I must admit a few giggles about the Christmas Octopus. My two year old daughter just tried to draw an octopus tonight for our craft project…must be something about the season & the octopus of which I’m not aware. :)
Kristin
December 4, 2009 at 7:59 pmI just did a project similar to this one with some friends last weekend. It is always so rewarding seeing all the prints pile up on the drying rack. Am very curious to try this with my two year old. I love your idea of drawing on paper first and then tracing the image onto the plate.
Fawn Pea
December 9, 2009 at 10:31 amA Christmas octopus! Just what I would hope to find in my stocking.
Kat
December 21, 2009 at 11:25 amWe tried this last night and it worked great! We asked the butcher for some new styrofoam meat trays and they were perfect for the project.
Karen
March 7, 2011 at 9:35 amLoving this site with all the ideas i can use for projects that i need to plan. Great work!
Julie Laulett
December 5, 2011 at 2:10 pmThis is one of my favorite crafts to do with preschoolers. It’s a fantastic open art project with little to no materials cost, perfect for the public library setting. You’ve done a great job of presenting and explaining it. The only thing I do differently is to have children draw their design directly onto the styrofoam, and the only difficulty is getting them to press hard enough to indent their design.
Sue Stirling
February 2, 2012 at 7:11 pmHi
I am new to blogging and a new teacher. I had started a post with styrofoam printing, as I had done this in a Uni prac with Kindergarten children, and noticed your beautiful tutorial! Would you mind if I linked your tutorial to my post!
Thanks
Sue
LillipilliLane
July 22, 2012 at 10:14 pmlove it, love those plants!
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