The Process of Making a Linocut Print

As promised I have documented the making of my next print.

First I choose a picture to base my print off, an old one from a hike in Moab with my dad and brother (yes that's me in the red haha).

Then I made a simple sketch of the things I wanted to include.

Next I transferred the sketch in reverse to the blank block shown below. Also shown is the cutting tool.

Then after I had it carved out I put a scrap of paper over it and made a rubbing to get an idea of how it looked. The finished print will be a reverse of this though.

Then I squirt out some ink and use the roller to get an even layer.

And then ink up the block.

Next comes the hard work. I place a sheet of paper over the inked block and burnish it with a wooden spoon- basically polish the paper onto the block, pressing hard to ensure complete transfer of the ink.

Finally the magic moment, peeling the paper off and critiquing the print. Usually I'll see something I want to change so I have to clean the block and go back to the carving stage, repeating the process until I'm satisfied and pronounce the block 'bon a tirer', good to print. I mark the print 'artist's proof' and all other prints in the edition have to be compared to this one. Each print is marked with its number over the total in the edition. For example 1/15 would be the first print out of 15 in the limited edition.