I create artist prints using the printmaking technique of linocut, which is a relief print technique a little like woodcut, but using soft lino or a vinyl substitute.
You can see a wide range of lino prints on my gallery page.
To create these lino prints I draw my design onto the lino and then cut away the non-printing area with carving tools.
The surface of the lino is then inked up using a roller, and the paper applied. I burnish the back of the paper by hand (usually using a wooden spoon!), then lift the paper to discover the inked up design has transferred to it.
My lino prints are usually in colour. I tend to use four to six colours (including the white of the paper).
There are two ways I use to apply a succession of colours – using the reduction or the multi-block technique.
With the reduction technique, I use just one lino block for the whole sequence of colours. This technique is also known as the suicide method as it destroys the lino block. By the time the final colour is added, most of the lino has been carved away. It’s not a very forgiving technique. I have to decide how many prints I’m going to produce at the start, and if something goes wrong several colours in – well, all that paper is wasted!
With the multi-block technique, each colour has its own lino block. This is quite costly in lino, and means a lot more time carving each block. However, then you get the fun of being able to experiment with colour combinations and transparent overlays.
I sell greeting cards based on my linocuts, and sometimes some original prints, in my online shop.
I am a member of Hastings Arts Forum.