Hello and a huge welcome to this online course: Learning Linocut A Beginners Guide to Linocut Printing.
This course is aimed at complete beginners to linocut (or those coming back to printmaking after a short break). It provides a simple step-by-step guide to printing single colour linocut prints. I explain about the tools you need, how to cut the block, how to ink it up and finally how to print. I even include a four-part recording from a live linocutting workshop with me so you can get the full experience of being one of my students.
The course is broken down in to several modules and I recommend that you follow the course in the order that it is presented to you. There are videos as well as downloadable PDF documents.
Enjoy the course!
Susan
Note: Please note that this standalone course was offered previously as Module 6 of an Introduction to Printmaking online course (no longer available) and this may be referred to at times in one or two of the course videos.
What is Printmaking?
Printmaking is essentially the process of creating an original ‘print’, by transferring an impression from one surface to another. It is not a direct process such as drawing or painting but any method that allows an artist to create an image in one place that is then transferred to another. Printmaking is an exciting art form which at Magenta Sky we are very passionate about.
There are 4 main categories that the various forms of printmaking fall into – Relief (lino/woodcut, wood engraving), Intaglio (etching, drypoint, mezzotint), Stencil Based (screenprinting) and Planographic (lithography).
Linocut is a form of relief printing.
0.2 What is Linocut?
Linocut is a type of relief printing that involves using a linoleum block as the printing plate. This is then cut into using metal gouges and V tools to produce an image to print from. With relief printing, the material that is removed does not print, therefore making it a negative mark-making technique.
Linoleum is a composite sheet material (originally used for flooring) made from a mixture of powdered cork and linseed oil that has a hessian or burlap backing. The linoleum that printmakers use is specially prepared for the purposes of relief printing and usually comes in thicknesses such as 3mm or 5mm and is either brown or grey in colour.
Printmaking suppliers will either supply the lino in rectangular blocks of different sizes or a large roll. Due to its flexible nature and thickness of just a few millimetres, these blocks and rolls can be cut to the desired size using a Stanley knife and metal ruler or even a pair of scissors if an unusual shape is required.
The surface of the lino is smooth and flat, making it a good material to begin relief printing with. However, some lino can be relatively hard for example in cold weather or when the lino becomes more brittle with age. To make this easier to cut it is often a good idea to warm the lino before cutting using a hairdryer or radiator to make it more flexible.
