ABOUT LINOPRINT

The history of linoprint

Linocut is a form of relief or block printmaking that’s been around since the early 1900s.

Lots of people remember trying it in art class at school or college. You start with a sheet of linoleum - yes, the same stuff traditionally used to make floor coverings out of - made of linseed oil, resin and sawdust.

It's very similar to woodcut printmaking, but the benefit of linoleum is that the surface is easier to carve and has no grain to work with, making it a little more forgiving and expressive to work with.

Creating the block

There's several steps to the linocut process.

It starts with a design, either drawn straight onto the linoleum block or transferred from a sketch (I use carbon paper for this, although there are plenty of other methods to choose from).

The design will be printed in reverse onto the paper, so the drawing is normally flipped before transferring it to the lino.

From here, you cut out parts of the lino to reveal your design using carving tools - little gouges with very sharp edges in v shapes or u shapes, with different widths depending on what type of lines you want to create.

Everything you leave on the block will be inked up and printed, everything you carve away will be left the colour of the paper you're printing on.

I use cornflour to check progress as I go, seeing which areas need more definition or light.

Getting inky

Once the block is carved, the printing ink needs be rolled out so that it has an even consistency, using a tool called a brayer - you can tell when it’s even, because the sound changes from a squelch to a satisfying hiss.

Then, the ink is rolled onto the block - this is when you get the first glimpse at what the print will actually look like.

The aim is to get an even coverage and make sure the whole block is covered, so it’s better to do several thin layers than one thick one - if the ink is too thick, is will spill into the parts you've carved and you'll lose some of the details and thin lines. And if you don't use enough ink, the print will turn out patchy, so it needs to be just right, which can take a bit of trial and error.

Printing up

The paper is placed on top, and then you add pressure either by hand or with a printing press to transfer the ink and reveal the design.

I print everything by hand using a tool called a barren, and then the head of a wooden spoon to go over any areas that need a bit of extra attention - details, for example, or any large areas of ink to make sure they don’t turn out patchy. It takes a good bit of elbow grease to get a good hand pressed print.

Finally, you peel up your paper to reveal the final print. Usually, I pull a couple of test prints first, to see whether you are happy with the design - I might have missed some bits when carving, or need to add some more definition or detail, for example. I then go back and tweak the block as needed, then print again, and repeat until it's right.

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