The Process
From initial sketches to final print
Sketching on site
Transferring to lino
Design in pen on lino
Carving the lino
Pulling a print
Every print begins with sketching, most often out in the open. I enjoy researching and studying elements contained in the piece, especially about flora and fauna; their common names and folklore especially interest me.
I have a very busy life juggling roles, as many artists and craftspeople do, but I have learned to work this to my advantage and when not actively designing on paper, I am resolving and planning the piece in my mind-often at night! This continues until a final design comes into being.
In relief printmaking, the design is transferred in reverse image onto the lino; I use the traditional grey linoleum as it is satisfying to carve and biodegradable, being make of linseed, cork dust and hessian.
To transfer designs, I use tracing paper and pencil; next I go over the pencil with an ink pen. This repetition results in you knowing your design deeply well. It also gives you time to make tweaks.
I use Swedish Pfeil carving tools and keep these sharp by honing them using the leather on a Flexcut Slipstrop every half hour of use to ensure a clean cut. You can source disposable blades but I have found learning how to care for long-lasting tools is a rewarding skill in itself and they are more eco-friendly. The tool is held and with little effort is pushed forwards by the palm of one hand; I like to guide it with the index finger of my other hand. Non-slip matting helps steady the lino whilst you carve and I use an architect drawing board (salvaged!) which raises the lino at an angle to carve against, making accidental slips of the blade into the lino less likely.
The lino carved away is the negative white space; what is left becomes the image you ink up and take an impression of. You are carving light into dark, essentially.
I use Caligo Safewash inks to print with. They clean up really easily with a little soapy water on cloth. I use kitchen towel and newspaper to tidy up as this can be put in the bin so as not to impact watercourses. The ink is spread onto a sheet of glass on my desk and my roller/brayer is rolled over it until the right amount of ink is on it; then the brayer is passed over the lino.
I have a small antique book-binding press. My parents found it in an antique shop for me after I had started to take printing seriously. They are not hugely expensive and I have had wonderful use from mine. The only limit is the size of paper it can take. I make a registration board to fit the lino snugly so that it doesn’t move in the press and smudge. For multiple or reduction prints when using colour, I make use of Ternes Burton Tabs to ensure the paper is laid down in exactly the same position each time it goes into the press (once for each and every colour). The lino, sandwiched with the board, is carefully placed into the press. Tightening the handle around and down is exciting and warms me up in the colder months, as it’s a bit of a workout!
Lifting the print off the board is a great moment. Each impression is a little different, depending on the inking and the pressure you use in tightening the press, all of which adds up to the very human touch and story behind each very individual print.
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