As my love of printmaking grows and my time allotment towards this creative medium diminishes. I have grown a great love of printmaking with items from around the house. These are a sort of DIY approach to printmaking and it makes it kind of a quick and accessible and approach to printmaking. This post will show you how to create artwork with random household items.

Printmaking has a rich history, filled with large presses and specialized materials. Yet, its beauty lies in creativity prospects, perfect for home experimentation.

Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a curious beginner, this guide will walk you through various printmaking techniques you can try at home, including relief printmaking, collagraphy, intaglio, and stencil techniques. Let’s dive into the world of printmaking, where your kitchen and living room can transform into a mini art studio.

For more about how to work with a small studio space, you can check out my post here.

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Relief Printmaking at Home

Household items for Relief Printmaking

-Old Erasers: Those worn-out erasers lying at the bottom of your drawer can be repurposed as carving blocks. These can be great household items used for printmaking. They’re soft and easy to carve, making them perfect for simple designs and quick experiments.
Styrofoam Trays: Don’t throw away those disposable trays from takeout or packaging! Styrofoam trays can be easily carved with a pencil or pointed object to create a quick design. Plus, they’re lightweight and readily available. These are also a kid/student-friendly approach to relief printmaking.
-Rubber Bands: Stretch out rubber bands over a flat surface like a piece of cardboard or wood to create a textured background for your prints. You can carve into the rubber bands to add details or leave them as they are for a unique pattern. You can mix thick and thin rubber bands for a relief surface.
Cork: Have some wine corks lying around? Cut them into slices or use the flat ends to carve designs. Cork is soft and easy to work with, making it great for beginners or for adding small embellishments to your prints. I have also used cork board as a flat surface to carve into. The cork may be better for larger designs that are not so intricate as it does crumble a bit.
Potato: Yes, you read that right! Potatoes can be carved and used as printing blocks. Cut a potato in half and carve your design into the flat surface. It’s a fun and inexpensive way to create custom stamps for your prints. Other food items can be used as a temporary relief printing block such as an apple, pear, orange slices, or kale leaves.
Foam Sheets: Foam sheets, often used for crafting or packaging, can be carved with ease to create raised designs. They come in various thicknesses and can be found at most craft stores or repurposed from packaging materials. This will behave similarly to the styrofoam sheets but it does handle a bit better with more printing. I have used these with students to create stamps by gluing their designs onto cardboard.
Linoleum: If you happen to have linoleum flooring scraps or tiles, they can be carved to create more durable printing blocks. Linoleum blocks provide a smooth surface for carving and can yield detailed prints with crisp lines. If you are using flooring as many have, please be aware that some flooring materials may have chemicals embedded inside them and when carved into you could potentially release these chemicals into the air in your home. I would wear a mask and work in a well-ventilated area if you were to use this method. Or you can use the ultimate traditional linoleum and use the battleship grey lino from an art shop.
Cardboard: Sturdy cardboard from packaging boxes can be cut and layered to create relief printing blocks. While not as durable as other materials, cardboard blocks are great for experimenting and creating temporary prints. The corrugated sections of cardboard can make really cool straight lines which could be great for a background or some texture.
Pencil Erasers: Small pencil erasers can be carved to create miniature stamps for adding fine details to your prints. They’re perfect for intricate designs or for correcting mistakes in your carving. After creating quite a collection, these can be used as boarders or for pattern making. They are a great and accessible material to try out creating stamps.
Plastic Blocks: Using a flat plastic block sheet with a design using shallow plastic blocks can make a really cool way to create relief prints. This is amazing to do with kids and students. I would not recommend putting these through a printing press as the blocks can break under pressure.

Read more about printmaking with relief here.

Collagraph Printmaking at Home

Household Items for Collagraph Printmaking:

Cardboard: Thin or thick cardboard can be cut, torn, or manipulated to create various textures. Artists may use the corrugated surface of cardboard for bold lines or flatten it for a smoother texture. This is similar to what we used in the relief section and bonus, this can also be used in monotypes. Oh how fun, so much creativity!!!
Fabric: Different types of fabric, such as lace, burlap, or even clothing scraps, can be adhered to a base to add tactile elements to the print. The weave, pattern, and thickness of the fabric contribute to the overall texture of the print. I have used plastic table cloths and cut out the shapes or patterns and used them selectively for embossment or for texture in an area on the print.
String or Yarn: By gluing or embedding string or yarn onto the printing plate, it is an easy way to add lines or textures to your plate. You can place the string in various arrangements to create abstract designs.
Plant Materials: Leaves, flowers, and other natural elements can be pressed into the printing plate to leave impressions or create relief textures. This is such a nice and easy way to start printmaking with collagraphs. And can create a reason to walk around outdoors collecting textured materials to use later.
Paper Collage: Pieces of textured paper, such as handmade paper or textured cardstock, can be collaged onto the printing plate to create layered surfaces. You can tear, crumple, or fold the paper to add dimension and interest to the print.
Sand: Sand or carborundum can be added to various amounts of glue to create a textured area to hold large amounts of ink. Check out more about carborundum printmaking here.
Masking Tape: Layering tape has a similar effect as the paper-collaging. This will create areas of high and low spots to hold ink.
Found Objects: Everyday objects found around the house or outdoors, such as buttons, coins, or keys, can be incorporated into collagraph prints (only when hand printing). Please note: Do not use any metal, or hard items like buttons or keys in your printing press. It will destroy your roller and forever impact your future prints. These found objects add unexpected textures and shapes to the artwork.
Gel Medium or Modeling Paste: Artists can apply gel medium or modeling paste to the printing plate. This can create raised textures or sculptural elements. These mediums can be worked with using tools or pressed into with the found items. This would create an impression of the textured surfaces. This will add to achieving the desired effects.
Textured Surfaces: Artists may experiment with various textured surfaces. Such as textured wallpaper, textured paint rollers, or embossing plates, to add interesting patterns and textures to their prints. I have used all sorts of items such as tablecloths, and faux flexible tiles from the dollar store.

Read more about printmaking with collagraph here.

Intaglio Printmaking using Household Items

Household Items for Intaglio Printmaking

Polystyrene or Styrofoam Sheets: Recycled polystyrene sheets from packaging material can serve as a printable surface. They can be easily etched with a pointed tool like a pencil. The plate will not likely hold the pressure of a press. However, with light pressure using a barren or a spoon, you can achieve quick results.
Acetate Sheets: Clear acetate sheets can be utilized as a plate surface. They can be scratched or incised with a sharp tool to create the desired design. I have used these for a variety of plates, such as with monotype, collagraph, or with intaglio.
Cardboard: Sturdy cardboard can be used as a printing plate. Ensure it’s thick enough to withstand the pressure from the printing press or hand-pressing. It may only yield a few prints before the plate breaks down.
Plexiglass Sheets: Smooth plexiglass sheets can be used as a plate surface.
I have used these most of the time when creating intaglio prints. These are often referred to as drypoint plates. These take engravings from nails, etching tools, or dremel bits.
Linoleum: While less common in intaglio, linoleum can be used for its carving properties. It’s typically used for relief printing but can be adapted for intaglio techniques with careful carving. This is also good for incorporating some of the collagraph techniques previously mentioned.

Read more about printmaking with Intaglio here.

Stencil Printmaking DIY

Household items for Stencil Printmaking

Cardstock or Cardboard: Thick paper or lightweight cardboard can be easily cut into stencils using scissors or a craft knife. They are affordable and readily available.
Plastic Sheets: Thin, flexible plastic, sheets such as overhead projector transparencies or plastic report covers can be used for stencils. They are durable and can be easily cut with scissors or a craft knife.
Stencil Film: Stencil film, also known as Mylar or acetate sheets, is specifically designed for creating stencils. It is durable, easy to cut, and reusable. I will use dura-lar sheets because they are heavy-duty and stay nice for a lot longer than other stencil materials.
Contact Paper: Self-adhesive contact paper is a convenient material for creating stencils. Simply draw or trace your design onto the paper backing, cut it out, and remove the backing to reveal the adhesive stencil.
Freezer Paper: Freezer paper has a plastic coating on one side and a paper backing on the other. It can be easily cut with scissors or a craft knife and adhered to surfaces using heat (such as an iron). It’s particularly useful for fabric printing. I have been to many a baby shower where they created personalized screen printed onesies for the new baby using this method.
Stencil Vinyl: Vinyl sheets, commonly used for crafting with electronic cutting machines like Cricut or Silhouette, can be used to create intricate stencils. Designs can be cut using a machine or by hand. These are cool because you can stick them to the screen printing material and screen print without the complicated developing chemicals.
Screen Printing Mesh: Fine mesh screens used for screen printing can be used to create stencils by blocking out areas where ink should not pass through. This method is mostly for screen printing techniques. I have used sheer curtains for this instead of buying expensive screenprinting fabric. A fun activity to check out the local thrift stores for material.
Painter’s Tape or Masking Tape: While not as durable as other materials, painter’s tape or masking tape can be used for simple stenciling projects. It adheres well to surfaces and can be easily removed without leaving residue.
Natural Materials: Leaves, feathers, lace, and other textured materials can be used as stencils by laying them directly onto the printing surface and applying ink or paint over them. This application is great for all of the previously mentioned printmaking methods. Nature is awesome and is the best for printmaking beautiful textures.

Read more about printmaking with stencil here.

Closing thoughts

I don’t know about you, but I am super excited to use some of my break off teaching coming up to experiment some more with these items. I hope you are inspired and share your progress on my Facebook Group Printmaking for Beginners.

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