Last night I really got busy! I finished carving (is that the word?) my lino block a few days ago but I was just too scared to try printing it. I know, that’s a wee bit silly. The word pathetic springs to mind but we won’t say that. Most people probably did lino printing in Art at school but I never did, so I have been learning via library books really. I find Jackie’s lino prints simply amazing and I have to say that seeing these made me think I could do this. Thanks Jackie, you are an inspiration!
Anyway last night I was annoyed because there was nothing good on telly and we had no decent DVDs to watch (Paul and I usually watch a movie or two together every Friday and Saturday night) so I decided that now was the time!
Let’s get lino printing!
I should mention that Paul made this great lino cutting board for me. It stops the lino from slipping and is much safer. Also pictured is the lino printing ink (orange!) and a brayer (the roller, used to ink the lino) and a baren (used to press the paper). The baren was really expensive (about $40) but it does a great job.
I used a plastic spatula to put some ink onto a plastic overhead projector sheet and used the brayer to roll the ink out. I think I put too much ink on the plastic as the brayer picked up too much ink, but I got the hang of it soon enough.
You can see the lino all inked up here:
In the picture above, you can see the book I was consulting as I did all this – it tells me that the term “pulling a print” is used because you are “pulling” the ink from the lino on to the paper which is on top. So you put your paper or card carefully over the inked lino and use the baren to press it down all over. If you were all set up then you would use a paper press for this step but the baren does a great job and I think a paper press costs a little bit more than $40.
While rubbing the paper with the baren, I was a bit nervous, wondering if I had put too much/too little ink on the lino, was I pressing too hard etc. It turned out okay though…
I was very happy with my print! I will actually be cutting a new lino of this picture because there are places that I messed up when cutting (the branch looks funny for one thing) and I’m excited because now I can use what I have learned this time to improve. Here it is.
I love lino printing!
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we did lino printing in school (whew, that´s YEARS back from now!)
last year i done my christmas cards this way, and i thought about printing some cheap t-shirts with it (ehm, another design… not the reindeer…), but i didn´t find “creamy” fabric paint until now.
i also adore your gocco-printing! i think i will give this a try and order neccessary tools in may (well, there´s the use-what-you-have-month in april, so i´m a bit stucked…)
love reading along! you´re inspiring and i wonder how you do all this with kids, a household…. it´s amazing, really!
It’s fantastic! I must buy a baren and have a go, where did you buy yours?
Isn’t it fun. I’m glad you did a tutorial. I have been too lazy, but I figure everyone did it at school. Gorgeous print.
This is the 4th time I typed this. I often read your blog, but it is just too hard to get those characters so I never leave comments, but I really like what you do.
I love your owl lino print! It’s so lovely!
hey that looks great, anyways i was just wondering….what hazards are there in lino printing?
hey u can bet much cheaper barons made of bamboo leaves or whats even cheaper is too use the back of a spoon. And for one of the previous commentors I specialise in printmaking and yes there are hazards but you avoid them if you cut away from yourself and don’t loose concentration in what you are doing; or you end up like me with hands covered in lino print scars.
I love your lino! I have just completed one at school as an assignment. Our lino printings had to be of a face which explained our feelings so mine was a sad and confused face. I wish i could learn to cut out lino better than what i did for my assignment because i would have had a better chance of getting a good mark, anyway i just want to say that i love your lino prints! Do you sell any of them? If not you should because they are sooooo Good!
Catch ya
Being a busy single mum of 2 who works have not been able to work on my prints for long time. I loved the owl print i always print in black and white so seeing the use of a different colour has made me think about what else i’d like to produce with my prints. i want to try out the technique of using different colours and cutting away to make a mlti coloured print. if ou know anyone who can show me that technique would be really interested. My prints focus on african and african caribbean art to see some truly inspirational lino prints visit John Maufangejo’s website.
Your tutorial has been useful to point out equipment, process and cutting hazards! forewarded saves hands. I wonder whether an iron, (cold of course) could be used to press the paper instead of a baren. !’m going to give it a try. I have just visited a bird sanctuary in India and saw several owls so your print has brought back happy memories. Thanks for the time and know how!
Lino printing is awesome! It saved my life! I do it every day!
p.s. Jen I love your work
cool cool cool i love lino print i am 14 years old and i do one per night
I luv the lino print!!! We’re doing it at school and it’s awesome!!!
This lino printing is so beautiful.! i absoluteley love lino printing ,at the moment i am doing it and i was just looking for inspiration and as you can see i found it.
thank you so much for your help
hi me rubab i love lino printing i m from aga khan school
i LLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE lino printing it is da bomb!!:):):):) lol bye!!!!
i live in Australia, nsw, sydney
bye!!!
Hi
(:
thank you soo much for your help you r so good at lino printing i love this site so much
thank for your help lol Mardanhan Trio
Hi
(:
thank you soo much for your help you r so good at lino printing i love this site so much
thank for your help lol Mardanhan
This is a great website!
I’m doing lino printing at school and this gave me some top tips.
thank u so much lol Lilly
I would love to include a link to this tut from my site. Could I please copy a photo of the lino to use?
Thanks
Mia
Good for you! You are so inspirational!
LOVE the owl. S/he’s so cute!
xoxoxo
Lain
Yor owl is sooo cool!
I luv it! I did a lino print for my sister’s birthday card and she thought it was great!
hi i’m just about to do lino printing at school and i really liked your talking-through-it approach thanks p.s. i don’t think your branch looks wierd
hey
I’ve not done lino printing in over 10 years since I was in school. I bared remember how to do it but I’ve starting working on my first lino print after reading your blog. Thanks! I’ve just created my own blog to detail what I’ve been doing.
Thanks again,
DaveDave
Sorry I forgot to include the url for my lino printing blog! http://lino-print-tutorial.blogspot.com/
That print is fabulous…I never noticed anything strange about the branch…even after you mentioned it. Thanks for the tutorial!
i love the owl and sxc colour that went wiv it. very nice, im proud. i like people expersing them self in a unique way. well done xxxxxxx
REALY nyc owll priiint luks relii good:)x
I think thats really nice, im doing linoprinting at school and iv got to find a history of it any ideas of a site for histroy of linoprinting guys?
Hello im in yr 8 and our art homework is to find information about lino printing but i cant find anything so could you please help me
I have recently had the urge to lino print for what will be the first ime since 1983/4 !! I did a very very complicated 8 colour lino print of an old lawn mower! Ha! It did win an exhibition place in the cadbury’s national schools art comp which at the time made all the effort of careful marking and holding the lino up to an old heater worth while…. Big respect to Mr Rowlands who kept his patience with me (took weeks!!). Looking back, I think that episode gave me the greatest satisfaction of all the art I have ever done. I titally recommend you have a go at a multi coloured project. Just keep cutting away from you and put your free hand behind the cutting one (it’s all coming back now!)
Ken, Liverpool
Oops …. I mean ‘totally’ not ‘titally’! Sorry.
Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve always wanted to try this, but like you, I am untrained in printing. After reading this post though, I feel like I can give it a go! Thanks again.
Paul
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That’s super awesome. Loved the tutorial. I really like to learn and try out new stuff. This article surely was really awesome. Thanks a bunch. Cheers
I personally love lino printing…..and being an art student i have to do loads of them. Even though i like it i find it quite messy and time consuming….and sometimes the print turns out to be horrendous and i HAVE to redo it…it’s very disappointing then. Every time i do it i definitely prick myself with the cutters leaving my skin to ooze out a few drops of blood. But even after all this…its fun and enjoyable doing all this as am completely into ART and love it not as a subject but as ART.
What a blast from the past! Oh the mess I used to make! Your work though is a lot more sophisticated than mine was in 3rd grade. I am actually inspired by this and have an overwhelming desire to locate some lino.
I like the use of the paper press; though I remember using a really heavy door stop with a flat side.
Fantastic article and step by step guide.