jocelyn mathewes | BORN YESTERDAY blog archives: Howto: Linoleum Block Printing (BORN YESTERDAY)

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DESCRIPTION
Linoleum block printing is a very simple and accessible relief printing technique. It is a reductive process—material is removed in order to create the image. In this case, specialized cutters are used to gouge out portions of linoleum, very similar to woodcutting.

TIME
Varies--dependent on the number of layers in your design, amount of printmaking experience, and the number of prints you would like to make.

For a simple, one-color design, plan approximately 3-4 hours to go from your rough sketch to a finished print.

TOOLS & MATERIALS
linoleum cutters
inking plate (or other non-porous and uniformly smooth surface)
brayer
palette knife (or other equivalent tool from your kitchen)
masking tape
ruler & pencil
x-acto knife (for cutting paper, if needed)
barren (or metal spoon)
wood-mounted linoleum blocks
paper (preferably a card stock)
block printing ink (water-based; various colors)

1. Sketch your design.

Every print begins with a sketch. Take time to think about your subject matter--pick something you would enjoy working on, because it's going to take time to make it work as a linoleum block print!

Once you decide what you want your design to be, or go through a few intial sketches, you'll want to make a sketch that's proportional to the size of linoleum block you're cutting.

Keep two things in mind: the number and kind of colors you want to use, and that thin linework and small elements are difficult to cut. Make it simple!

In the design I'm using as an example, I’ve chosen to use blocks that are 4" x 6" in size, to print on a 5" x 7" greeting card, which will give me a nice quarter-inch margin all around my print.

2. Divide your design into layers (if necessary).

At this stage, I take my original sketch and using layers of tracing paper to plan out the order of colors I want to print, and the methods of cutting I want to use for each area of each block.

As you can see above, the first layer in my design is blue, followed by red, yellow, gold, then black as the final layer.

If you look closely, you can see how I plan my cutting methods. I make pencil marks to mimic the direction, thickness, and general effect I want, and label each accordingly.

3. Cut one block for each layer of your design.

The most important thing to remember at this stage is that you are not only removing the areas that you do not want to print, but that your design will be reversed (or mirrored) on each linoleum block, as you see above.

This can be an arduous process! Be prepared to have linoleum shavings all over your workspace. Remember to work on a surface that you either don't care about or that you can protect easily--linoleum cutters can easily gouge wood furniture, in addition to your own fingers.

Above, you can see how the planned layers I sketched out compare to the actual linoleum blocks.

4. Prepare your paper & printing template.

Have your paper trimmed to the size you like. Then, take a single sheet of your paper and draw guidelines with a ruler to indicate where your linoleum block should fall on the paper. You will use this template to help you align your paper during the printing process.

Use masking tape to secure your paper template to your work surface, and then tape your linoleum block securely in place on the paper template (see photo at right).

5. Prep your inking plate.

Squeeze generous amount of ink onto one end of inking plate.

Spread ink evenly and thinly across plate using palette knife.

Roll the brayer gently and smoothly across the thin layer of ink, coating the brayer evenly and completely.

6. Ink your linoleum block.

Roll the brayer gently and smoothly across your linoleum block, coating it thoroughly with ink.

7. Make your print.

Align paper with template & lay it down firmly but gently.

Smooth paper with a barren or metal spoon, using a gentle circular motion.

Lift paper directly upwards & lay out to dry.

Repeat this process with each piece of paper until the first layer is finished. Allow each layer time to dry before inking a new block.

8. Clean and dry your tools!

Cleaning and drying your tools promptly with soap and water (for water-based block printing inks) immediately after finishing your work makes your life easier, and prolongs the life of your tools. Be kind to them!

So here's my example print, from start to finish:

P.S. If you like what you've read, and feel it's worthwhile, don't hesitate to throw money at me!

w h o ? Jocelyn / w h e n ? March 30, 2007 6:45 PM
t r a c k b a c k? http://www.jocelynmathewes.com/cgi/mt/mt-tb.cgi/24

If you could be more explicative of how you carve the different layers for different colors.

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, Yari, but here's my best attempt at an answer.

I only use one block for each layer of color (this saves on money and time). So, when I carve a layer of yellow, I have to plan for all the places I want yellow to appear. Sometimes this proves difficult, because the order in which you print the blocks can alter the way the colors layer themselves.

But more specifically, when I carve a block of color, I usually am careful to draw and outline the places that I wish to remain solid--it's way too easy to let the lino cutter slip up and eat away at things. It's a slow process of reduction, thinking through how much of each layer I want gone.