“If you emboss something you press a letter or design into it so the letter or design stands out from the background.”
 

We discussed texture and raised surfaces as we came to understand the meaning of embossed – “If you emboss something you press a letter or design into it so the letter or design stands out from the background.”

The children folded a whole newspaper and placed it under their piece of embossing foil. This acted like a pillow under the foil so when a line was drawn into it by pressing as hard as they could with an old biro the softness of the pillow allowed the line to be pressed into the foil and to poke out on the other side-the front of their work.

Each child then experimented with a free choice drawing into their foil by just drawing the outline or minimum detail to their picture. Their foil was then turned over and coloured in with Prockey Markers. Once it was filled with colour they turned it over and continued embossing on the back. Areas were filled totally with pattern where the lines were very close together so their picture became very textured and highly embossed.
Flowers were chosen for their second embossed drawing as it allowed for great use of both colour and repeated designs and patterns.

Their third picture was a free choice drawing along the theme of “Pirates” where the embossed patterns worked fantastically for the timber of the ships, beards, clothing, sails, water and sky.

This is an activity where the children become so focused and engaged with their work because it is such a pleasant process drawing into the embossing foil on the soft pillow surface but also as it produces such great effects instantly and inspires them to extend their work to achieve brilliant results.

Sue Creighton
Visual Arts Teacher
Kent Park Primary School
Suitable for Level 4