Monday 3 November 2014

Sausage Dog Linoprint (part 2)


 This week I have been cutting some lino prints that I'll make into Christmas cards, coming very soon...
Linocut is one of my favourite printmaking methods and is relatively inexpensive. I really enjoy the process of carving away to reveal the image, and its a very flexible medium that allows experimentation within your own home without too much mess. Here's what I did:

MATERIALS:
Lino/rubber block, printing ink, paper

TOOLS: Pencil, scalpel, cutting tool and blades, print roller

 I actually tried a new type of rubber block which I found on Amazon for £6 per A6 block, and I found it a lot softer than the usual lino. It has a coloured layer through the middle which helps to let you know how deep you are carving and just generally makes the process more clear.

After some lengthy drawing sessions to establish the designs, I transferred the image in graphite onto the block, and used a scalpel to trace the outlines. I find this allows for a neater cut when you come in with the cutting tool. I then carved out the rest of the image, leaving only the parts that I wanted to print. (Remember the final image will be the reverse of what you cut)
TIP: I left the corners of the block although I won't ink them, so they wont print. I find it helps stabilise the block and give the paper something to rest on.


As a change from my usual printing ink I used an ink pad to ink up the finished block, and then laid the paper over the top. I used the roller to evenly press onto the design and simply peeled off the paper to reveal the finished piece. For a longer print run I would use proper printing ink, but I found the ink pad worked really well to test the design is working, with no roller and palette to clean. An alcohol free baby wipe works wonders for cleaning the stamp after use, so easy and cheap.


I have another design I'm working on today, and hope to get some Christmas cards in my shop in the next few days - watch this space!

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