What is linocut?

"What actually is linocut?" A question I frequently get asked, particularly at markets. Sometimes it's followed by the question, "And can you print this in a different size?" and then I know I've failed at advertising exactly what it is that I do. Digital printing is so commonplace that a lot of people don't know that linocut printmaking is an entirely handmade process.

Linocut printmaking is a type of relief print that uses lino as the printing matrix. Okay, but what does all that arty technical jargon mean, I hear you say? Don't worry, I'll explain.

Basically, a relief print is any print made from inking a surface where the carved or removed design doesn't print. Other types of relief printing are woodcut, wood engraving (yes, those are different things so please bear with me here), and rubber or foam or potato stamping.

What about the matrix I mentioned? Forget about glitches and people doing impossible acrobatics in black leather and sunglasses. In printmaking, the matrix is the surface you print from. So in the case of linocut printmaking, the matrix is the lino, and in woodcut or wood engraving, the matrix is the wood.

When I create a linocut print, the lines I carve, by hand with a cutting tool, are the ones that don't print. I use traditional hessian-backed lino, which is made of natural materials and is entirely compostable. However, there are other plastic-based alternatives that are also known as art lino, although they are not technically linoleum.

A (very brief) history

Linoleum was invented by Frederick Walton in the mid-nineteenth century as a hard-wearing flooring material. Later in the century, it began to be used as an art material, often as a cheaper replacement for woodcut blocks. In the early 1900s, German Expressionists began experimenting with the medium, as its quickness and rawness (and affordability) suited their work of political dissent.

In the UK, the Grosvenor School is responsible for popularising linocut printmaking, largely thanks to Claude Flight, who taught the medium there from 1926 and became its leading advocate.

How a lino print is made

Start with design. The best linocut designs play with positive and negative space. The design can be transferred onto the lino block using tracing paper, carbon paper, or just sketched directly onto the block. I prefer to sketch an outline of the design on my block and leave the texture and mark-making to be more free-flowing.

Next is the carving stage. You'll want to use a relief carving set for this. These contain V-blades and U-blades. V-blades are great for details, fine lines and sharp edges. U-blades are great for curves and clearing areas of the block. These blades come in different sizes, and you may find you have a preference for one or two blades and end up choosing these regularly.

Once all the areas are carved, you roll out your ink with a roller (otherwise known as a brayer). Knowing when you've reached the right ink consistency is just practice, but I usually tell beginners you want the ink to sound similar to the hiss of a frying pan (I used to say you want it to look like crushed velvet but that received far too many bewildered looks). Then you take your roller and roll the ink across your block. You do this a few times to build up even coverage across the block.

The paper goes on top of the block. Unlike stamping, where the stamp gets pushed down onto the paper, here the back of the paper is burnished with a baren. Burnishing means applying pressure onto the paper to ensure ink transfer. A baren is the tool you use to do this. Barens needn't be expensive; I'm still using the same wooden spoon I bought seven years ago (it's been used so frequently and is so shiny that I could probably start using it as a mirror). Using the baren, start in the middle of the paper and work outwards in circular movements until you've burnished the entire image. Then comes the reveal!

What tools are used

• Lino (the printing matrix)

• Relief printing ink, water-based or oil-based

• Relief carving tools (U-blades and V-blades)

• A non-slip mat or a bench hook for safe carving

• A baren

• A brayer (i.e. roller)

• Something flat for rolling out the ink

• Paper. For hand printing, you'd preferably use a thinner paper of 100gsm or less. If you plan to sell or exhibit, use archival-quality paper.

Why people fall in love with it

The carving is incredibly meditative. It's one of the most common comments I hear at workshops: how relaxing and mindful the carving stage is. You just focus on the cutting, especially when the lino is fresh and soft and the tools are sharp and glide through it like a knife through butter. People get so wrapped up in this moment that they don't even eat the provided biscuits.

I'm not so fond of the messy stage, but I am always thrilled by the magic of revealing a print for the first time. Seeing the ink transform a grey block into a design full of contrast is still amazing. Lifting the paper up and seeing the revealed print underneath still captivates and delights me.

The biggest joy of printmaking? You can print and print and print. Didn't like your first print pull? Ink it up and do it again! Can't bear to part with your artwork? Guess what, you can print multiple copies! Prints everywhere! Prints for Birthdays! Prints for Christmas! Prints for everyone!

Is it suitable for beginners?

Absolutely. It's such a forgiving medium. Even the mark-making pieces we do at the beginner workshops I teach get gasps and "oh wow"s from attendees. Even a simple doodle, once carved and inked, looks brilliant and ready for framing.

Because carving is irreversible (once a line is cut, it's cut) there's no endless tweaking or undo button. I think that's exactly what helps people move past perfectionism and that learned fear of failure. You simply can't fuss over every detail, so people end up allowing themselves to get engrossed in the experimentation instead.

Common misconceptions

That linocut printmaking at a workshop or at home is just like it was at school. At school, the tools are often blunt, the rollers are squeaky, the equipment is cleaned poorly and the lino has probably sat in a cupboard for months or years, getting more brittle and crumbly. If that was your first experience of printmaking, then I'm not surprised you might think you don't like it! But linocut, with quality materials (not expensive - quality), is brilliantly addictive.

The next misconception is: you need a big budget. No, you don't. A humble spoon makes a great baren. A perspex dish can be an ink tray. There are so many inventive budget hacks for printmaking, which makes it such a democratic process.

Fancy trying it?

Words only get you so far. The best way to understand linocut is to pick up a carving blade and feel it for yourself. If this blog post has sparked your creative interest, come join me at a workshop. I love sharing the tangible magic of linocut printmaking.

Natasha Davis Art

Linocut prints and workshops, Essex, UK.

contact natasha:

hello@natashadavisart.co.uk

+44 7379 985 479

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