Linoleum printing is a form of relief printing, one of the easiest and most direct of all the printmaking methods. Linocuts can be simplistic and graphic, or as intricately detailed as you want. It’s a subtractive process which means you cut away, or subtract, the areas you do not want to print. You can print onto almost any type of paper or fabric or on top of painted or silk-screened backgrounds. You can use watercolor paints or colored pencils to hand-color the print after it has dried.
When printing with a soft block of linoleum the edges will round a bit, giving a softer look to your image. Softer linoleums also reduce the number of prints you can pull before the block starts to deteriorate. Harder linoleums allow for a lot of detail, but they are more difficult to cut. |
They also hold up to a longer print run. Battleship linoleum is firm enough to allow for good detail but soft enough so that it won’t strain your hand to carve it. You can soften it slightly by using a heating pad underneath while carving.
Linoleum is typically 1" thick and comes either unmounted with a canvas backing or mounted onto a block of wood. You can purchase it from art supply companies or your local arts and crafts store. The softer varieties are easier to carve but they dont hold as much detail as the harder blocks. |