Missy's Dendrite Prints

Missy Maxwell

• Published on August 16, 2023 • Last modified on August 17, 2023

Hey hey! Missy here, an artist and guest blogger at PBS KIDS Utah. One of my favorite art techniques is printmaking. Printmaking is the process of transferring an image from one place to another. This can be done in tons of different ways. With rubber blocks like stamps, with textured items, with paint and fabric. Today I am going to teach you how to make a dendrite print. A dendrite is a mass with a branching, treelike structure. A beautiful design.

Supplies

A plastic CD case
Craft paint
Cardstock

Instructions

Project Instructions

Take apart your CD case so that you have 2 flat surfaces.
Squeeze a bunch of tiny drops of paint onto the front of the cd case.
Lay the back of the cd case on top of those drops of paint, so that the flat surfaces are touching front to back.
Pull the two halves apart and you will see the branching effect of the dendrites forming.
Now carefully lay a piece of cardstock on top of the paint.
Touch the paper lightly with your fingertips. Don’t smooth it out with your palm.
Now carefully lift the paper to reveal your dendrite print!

Wrap Up

Repeat the process with different colors of paint, on different papers. Or wait for your first print to dry, then make another print with another color of paint on the same paper. Like a snowflake, no two dendrite prints are alike. Be creative and have fun!