Linocuts

First, we start with a sheet of linoleum, untreated (you can’t really use flooring tiles), and transfer the image you are using to the sheet with carbon paper. What you don’t see here is the drawing I did from a photo of Bob’s car that was then transferred to the lino.



Next, I bust out the tool kit



and get started. Watch out, these suckers are sharp.



Now I start carving, cutting away the areas I want to stay white, leaving that which will be black. After about 2 or 3 hours, it’s starting to look like something.



And then I carve some more. After another couple hours, it looks like this.  This is essentially a mirror image of the finished print.




At this point I put some ink on a plexi plate and roll it out smooth with a brayer. Once the ink is nice and velvety, I roll it onto the lino plate with the brayer. The next step is probably the best. Pulling the first print is like Christmas morning. You really get a chance to see what you’ve done. 

I have two presses at home.  One is an old bookbinding press from the 1800s, shown below.  The other is a 19th century galley press, which basically consists of a flat bed and a very heavy metal roller.

I lay the plate and paper in the press, making a little sandwich with a piece of cardboard and a couple felt blankets. The blankets go on top, allowing the paper to conform to the plate and create that embossing.

Pull the paper off the plate and voila! A nice little linocut print of Bleed’s roadster.