- Definition
Chine collé is a printmaking technique where a thin piece of paper is glued onto a thicker paper during the printing process, adding colour or texture to the artwork.
An artist places a thin piece of yellow paper on their inked plate before running it through the press to create a black bird with a yellow background.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Think of it like putting a cool sticker on a piece of paper and then stamping an image over both the sticker and paper at once, so they all become one piece.
Ask your child: Where could a small piece of coloured paper change this print?
Common mix-up: Kids may think it's just gluing a background on later, like in a collage. The technique actually fuses the thin paper and the ink to the main sheet all at once.
Examples
- Using a piece of thin, crinkled paper to add a textured background behind a printed portrait.
- Placing a small square of patterned paper on the plate to make it look like a window in a printed house.
- Layering a piece of translucent paper to create a soft, hazy area within a darker print.
chine collé is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
