One of the most recognizable works of Japanese art is Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawau often referred to as The Great Wave or simply The Wave. It was first published around 1830 and is the first woodblock print in a series of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Each print in the series shows the area around Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, and includes the mountain in the background of each print.
Although the original was done by carving intricate scenes into wood, we are “carving” designs into Styrofoam trays and printing. Your child can use The Great Wave as inspiration or chose any other photo of Japan to inspire them. To stay true to Hokusai’s work, make sure to include Mount Fuji in the scene!
Materials and Supplies to Create The Great Wave print
- Styrofoam meat or pastry tray or large Styrofoam plates
- Thin point permanent marker
- Ball point pen
- Wide paint brush, sponge brush or brayer
- Acrylic paint or stamping ink
- Paper for practicing
- Water color paper for finished piece
Directions for The Great Wave print
Using scissors cut the flat part of a Styrofoam tray or plate to size. For our project we cut one 4 1/2″ x 6 1/2″.
You can use Hokusai’s work for inspiration or create your own scene. Note: If you want to duplicate The Great Wave you will need to draw a mirror image of the painting since the image will reverse when you print. Using a fine point permanent marker, draw a picture on the Styrofoam. Do not press hard in case you want to redo a line. Add as much detail as you want.
When you are satisfied, trace over the black lines with a colored ball point pen. Push hard enough to dent the Styrofoam but hard enough to start ripping the Styrofoam. If you want dots, simply push the pen into the Styrofoam.
Prepare your paints. We used acrylic paints but you can also use ink.
Using a wide brush, sponge brush or brayer, spread paint on foam. Do not put much paint on the brush. You want to keep the paint on the surface of the foam and not settle into the etched lines.
We recommend practicing on computer paper before printing on your water color paper. Position the foam before carefully lowering it to the paper. Once it makes contact with the paper, do not move around or your print will smear.
Pat down the foam on the paper. A rolling pin works great to get even distribution of paint.
Carefully remove the Styrofoam being careful not to slide it on the paper. You will see that the print is reversed and now matches The Great Wave.
You are now ready to print on your water color paper. To prepare your paper, on the backside of the water color paper, mark the size you want for your finished picture. We made ours 6″ x 8″. Make sure your lines are at least 1″ from the sides of the paper. Now rip along your lines instead of cutting. This will give an interesting jagged edge to your finished picture.
Make sure to print on the front of the water color paper. Again, use the rolling pin to evenly spread the paint and carefully remove the foam from the paper.
The Styrofoam can be used over and over again. Gently wash off the paint when you are done, dry completely, and store between 2 pieces of cardboard to project the surface.
