Fooling Around With Foam

My art journaling class keeps me on my toes! The students are super talented and inspirational so I try to find projects that will be fun to make and add value to their books. Not an easy feat as they are truly creative folks and I must think outside my comfort zone to challenge them. But, they keep showing up each week, smiling and eager to see what's "on the menu" for that night! 

Foam sheets can be found at dollar stores and craft shops. Typically you'll find kids using them to make picture frame art, masks, pencil toppers, magnetic letters, and the like. 

I had my students create foam stamps to embellish their journals. With just a few supplies, they went crazy making awesome designs.

Here's how we did it:

Supplies 

• Foam sheets
• Scissors
• Stamp pads and/or acrylic paint
• Pencil, small paint brush, or chopstick
• Wine corks and glue (optional)
• Hole punch (optional)
• Cookie cutters (optional)

How to make this

• Using the pencil, paint brush handle, chopstick or other dull edged tool, draw a design in the foam sheet. 
• Press the design into the foam so that it leaves a deep impression without going all the way through the foam. These indentations will not print when ink or paint is applied to the stamps.
• TIP: use cookie cutters to press a design into the foam.
• Cut along the outside of the foam designs so they are a more manageable size to print with.
• Use a hole punch to create a cool pattern in the foam, if desired.

• Add color to your new designs using a stamp pad or lightly brush paint on to the surface.
• Stamp the design on to your journal pages!
• TIP: glue a wine cork or a bit of thick cardboard to the back of your foam stamp to keep your fingers from getting ink or paint all over them, although painted fingers are a sign of a serious artist!
• The foam can be rinsed easily, ready for a new color.

 

TIP: carve letters backwards in the foam...oops!

The possibilities are endless. Grab some foam sheets, a few supplies, and let your imagination go wild!