LOS ALAMITOS, CA — The printmaking class at Los Alamitos High School developed from what was originally a regional occupation program called Commercial Art and Design. This program mainly focused on sign making and typography. When the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) left Los Alamitos High School to form their own campus, the program became printmaking.

Ms. Ferrell has taught the current printmaking class for almost eighteen years. The class is primarily used as a foundational class for AP 2-D Design. For projects, students are assigned a theme they must interpret creatively using an assigned method. 

“Printmaking is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface, most often paper or fabric,” the Metropolitan Museum of Art stated.

One of the printmaking students’ favorite units involves designing and creating t-shirts. 

“This year I plan to experiment with textile dyes and eco prints and hopefully create wearable art for a fashion show,” shared Ms. Ferrell.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Student artwork posted on the LAHS printmaking website October 11, 2022.

The three different methods of printmaking utilized at Los Al are relief printing, stencil or silkscreen, and intaglio. Relief printing involves the pressing of an ink-covered plate onto paper to leave a relief of the design. The method of silk screening involves the use of a stencil to allow ink to print onto a surface. 

 “Intaglio describes any printmaking technique in which the image is produced by incising into the printing plate – the incised line or area holds the ink and creates the image,” the Tate museum revealed.

Currently, students are working on a series of 15 note-cards that will feature a range of three to five designs with a variety of layers and colors. Some of these cards will be available for purchase at the holiday show in December. Some of the students’ other works are on display in cases outside room 621.

Printmaking is celebrated and diversified within this Los Alamitos course.