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Trend Alert: Block Printing is Cool Again

Modified: Aug 18, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · 43 Comments

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How to create a linocut block print, part one: drawing the design and carving the block.

Do any of you fellow crafters out there remember linocut block printing from the 70's? I wasn't born yet when this art form was in its heyday (in fact my mother blames my arrival for the demise of her budding linocut career), but I remember learning about it in art class.

Without delving into too much art-historical detail, linocut is the evolutionary pinnacle of centuries of block printing developments. It's a block of wood, covered in a layer of linoleum, which is easy to carve and inexpensive to use. It dates back to the turn of the century, but experienced an awakening of sorts as it became readily available to even casual crafters by the 60's and 70's.

While linoleum in most of its forms is usually considered passe these days, I am seeing lots of fun block prints showing up all over the place.

Remembering how much fun it was to carve into these little blocks, I set out to try it again for myself. I'm no Albrecht Duhrer, for sure, but the results have been fun and very artistically gratifying. You get to draw, then carve, then print in bright colors. What more could you ask from an art project?

If block printing sounds like fun to you, I thought I'd share with you this step by step guide to make your own. It's a simple, but rather long process, so I'll be breaking this into two posts. 

Linocut Block Printing Part 1: Drawing & Carving

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Linocut Block Printing Part 1: Drawing & Carving

First, gather your supplies.

Block Printing Supplies Part 1

You'll need:

  1. Pencil and paper for sketching designs
  2. Tracing paper
  3. Graphite or carbon paper
  4. Lino Grip or another grippy material so your block doesn't slide all over the place while you're carving
  5. Linocut block
  6. Gouges and carving tools

You can get every one of these supplies at your local craft store, for about $30. I snitched mine from my mom's 40 year-old set. Thanks Mom!

Drawing:

Linocut Part 1: Drawing the design on paper first

First you'll need to come up with a design. I keep a sketchpad for drawing exercises and sketching out ideas. I decided that a retro design was the way to go with this project, so I sketched out a cute little vintage camper, one of my current obsessions.

When you're sketching or choosing a design to print, it's important to think about which parts will be printed, and which parts will be left white.

In block printing (a form of relief printing), you carve out the white part (or negative space), and the part that's left is what will print. This can be a little tricky, so it's good to start with bold designs where you can easily see the patterns.

Transferring:

Next, you'll need to transfer your drawing to your block. There are various ways to do this, but to me the most straightforward is to trace the image onto tracing paper. Then lay your tracing paper on top of a piece of graphite paper, which is laid on top of the block.

Using a stylus or pencil, trace over the outlines on your tracing paper and it will transfer those lines through the graphite paper onto the block.

Linocut Block Printing Part 1 - transferring the design onto the block before carving

Once your image is transferred to the block, you are ready for carving.

Remember! Your image will print as a mirror image of how it looks on the block. Be sure to transfer it on backwards if the direction matters.

Carving:

Cover your work surface. This is important to help keep your block from sliding all around, and it protects your table from errant carvings if (or when) your gouge slips off the block. I use 3m paper, which is grippy on both sides. They also sell a similar material at Hobby Lobby, called Lino Grip. Or, you can duct tape over a piece of cardboard for the same effect.

Carving the linocut block

Fit the smallest gouge blade onto the handle. Start by carving the outlines.

Carving Tips:

  • Carve away from yourself, and keep your fingers out of the trajectory of your gouge.
  • Use your non-dominant hand to steady the tip of your gouge.
  • Start carving lightly, with shallow grooves. You can always go back later and take out more material, but if you carve too much, you're stuck.Carving 3

Once your outlines are in place, use the larger blades to carve out the rest of the negative space. You should be left with a block that looks like this:

The finished carved block, ready to be printed.
My 7 year old wanted me to add the sun. She thinks a picture is not complete without a yellow sun in the top corner. It can always be carved out later if I choose to disagree.

I love all the patterns made by the blades! I think this is a very cool piece of art in itself, but we're only halfway there. Join me in next week's block printing tutorial as I show you how to print from your block onto the finished product.

Hang in there with me - it'll be worth it in the end!

More Art

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    Cross Stitch Floral Map Mural

Comments

  1. shonee says

    August 16, 2014 at 11:04 am

    Wow I have never seen this before. It looks like there are a lot of possibilities with what you could do with this idea. Thanks for sharing this tutorial!
    -Shonee
    http://www.hawthorneandmain.com

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 18, 2014 at 5:06 pm

      You're right! The possibilities are endless... Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  2. Susan Cooper/findingourwaynow.com says

    August 19, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Oh, how cute. Many years ago I used to do block art printing but with wood. It was a blast. This look like it would just as much so. When time permits (darn time thing) I'll need to give this a try. 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:51 pm

      Thanks Susan! Yes, this is a lot of fun. To me, it's easier than wood block carving, but still with all the fun of the process. I was surprised at how easy it was to get back into it.

      Reply
  3. jacquiegum says

    August 19, 2014 at 3:42 pm

    This is so cool! I've never heard of this Meredith, but the end result is beautiful! I'm not much of a DIY'er these days, (LOL) but this looks like it could be relaxing...and so very creative:)

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Thanks Jacquie! Yes, this one takes DIY to more of an extreme than most of my posts. What's relaxing to one, may be just downright stressful to another. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Tim says

    August 19, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    Wow, that's a blast from memories long, presumably, forgotten. It was art class in intermediate school and when we weren't drawing pencil renderings of sharks or burning through Styrofoam sculptures of something abstract, it was to the lino cutters with us. I loved it even though I was pretty sure that one day I was going to remove a finger or an eye. Fortunately I still ten fingered and two eyed Tim.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:55 pm

      Wow, we never got to burn Styrofoam in any of my art classes! Although I did take a sculpting class in college, where I got to use an arc welder. That was a blast. Like you, I'm just thankful I got through that class with no major injuries!

      Reply
  5. Arleen says

    August 19, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Your idea could be used to stencil patterns on a wall. My children did block art printing but with a wooden block and they loved it. I had a stamp that I would use for all my cards.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:56 pm

      That's a great idea, Arleen, maybe we'll see some wall printing in a future post. 🙂 My kids are dying to try this, but I'm not sure I want my 7 year old handling the carving tools!

      Reply
  6. Lenie Hokansson (@LenieHokansson) says

    August 20, 2014 at 4:04 am

    Meredith, This is so neat - I wish I was creative. It looks like you could have a lot of fun with this. I'm with your seven-year old, the sun completes the picture.
    Lenie

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks Lenie, I'll let her know she got your vote. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Sue Hines says

    August 20, 2014 at 10:02 am

    How fun! I still have several of my mother's linocuts - and a couple of woodcuts by well-known south African artists. Thanks for the flashback.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 12:59 pm

      That's really neat, Sue. I have my mom's old linocuts too. One of the things I like about printmaking is that the block or plate is a piece of art in its own right.

      Reply
  8. Donna Janke says

    August 20, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    I've never heard of or seen linocut block printing, And I was around in its heyday! Very cool. I'm looking forward to part 2.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      See? Learn something new every day! That's my favorite thing about following other folks' blogs, you never know what you'll find...

      Reply
  9. Ken Dowell says

    August 20, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    That is a very cool piece of art. Love its simplicity.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      Thank you Ken!

      Reply
  10. Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) says

    August 20, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    I like this idea so much. I still can't decide what to do with my coffee table that I stripped of its former mosaic pattern, but this might be the ticket. It would be fun to do block-lettering with some of my favorite quotes. But first, I must re-stain the fence which is not nearly as fun as making over furniture.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      Ha! Yes, fence staining doesn't sound like so much fun. But you can plan your coffee table in the back of your mind while you're working on your fence. Speaking of stain, what if you stripped the whole coffee table (if you haven't already) then apply your favorite quote in vinyl letters, then restain the whole thing. Then remove the letters and you'll have your quote in a cool resist print. Does that make sense? Just an idea....

      Reply
  11. Maxwell Ivey says

    August 20, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Hi Meredith; I actually did this in junior high school, but do to concerns over my lack of vision; i was forced to use cardboard because it didn't require such sharp tools to cut it. and it was fun. I'm not surprised its making a come back. your description wwas solid. thanks for bringing back memories. take care, max

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:08 pm

      Yes, Max, I can see where the tools might be a risk. I've had a few near misses myself! They have some new materials now that are easier to carve. Hopefully that will help some people in that situation. One of the things I loved about this project is that it is so hands on and sculptural. I think art is not always just about the visual impression. Thanks for reading!

      Reply
  12. Jeannette Paladinoj says

    August 20, 2014 at 10:03 pm

    Meredith -- I doubt I'll ever do this kind of printing. My husband knew a lot about this topic and wrote a story about Chinese wood block printing for a prestigious art magazine. He contacted a shop in China that supplied 1,000 copies of a wood block print that was tipped into the book. This post brought back memories.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:09 pm

      That's really neat, Jeannette! The Chinese and Japanese have a long history in this art form. Thanks for reading, even if it's not your kind of project. 🙂

      Reply
  13. thetraveloguer says

    August 21, 2014 at 6:02 am

    I remember doing this in art class, it was so much fun! We were all very proud of the fact that we were allowed to wield scalpels around! 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 21, 2014 at 1:11 pm

      Haha, there's nothing scarier than a class full of adolescents running around with sharp instruments!

      Reply
  14. Deidre M. Simpson says

    August 22, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    Yes, I do remember this! I made one in arts and crafts class. It was the first time I'd ever heard of it. I could never forget the sound of the roller inking the block.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 25, 2014 at 12:56 pm

      That's funny Deidre, I never thought about the sound of the ink. It's been fun to see what kind of memories this project brought up in people.

      Reply
  15. rachel621 says

    August 23, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    I remember this from art class in high school. I made a frog. I always liked the block itself as an art piece too!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 25, 2014 at 12:57 pm

      I love frogs! You've just given me a project idea. 🙂

      Reply
  16. Christina says

    August 25, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    How neat, it's like you're creating your own stamp!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 25, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      That's exactly what it's like, Christina! The possibilities are endless...

      Reply
  17. Jill @ Do Try This at Home says

    August 25, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    so neat Meredith! I actually used to do something similar to this with my own kids, but we would use pink rubber and just a stamp pad to ink it.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 28, 2014 at 11:17 am

      That's a great way to do it with kids - much easier! I may have to try that next time...

      Reply
  18. TheRecipeHunter says

    August 26, 2014 at 11:52 am

    I totally remember linocut block art! I probably made one in school but don't remember it specifically. And I know my mom has her old art set too...we might have to bust that out the next time I'm home! 😉

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 28, 2014 at 11:19 am

      I bet she'd love to share it with you! I think my mom is just happy that all her supplies are being used instead of taking up space in her laundry room.

      Reply
  19. Amanda @ The Kolb Corner says

    August 28, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    I remember learning about this technique in an Art History class I took in college. I was fascinated by it at the time, and now after reading your tutorial, I want to give it a try myself! Thank you for sharing at the Merry Monday Link Party! See you again next week!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 30, 2014 at 8:17 am

      Thanks for stopping by Amanda. It's really fun and challenging - you should give it a try!

      Reply
  20. Smart Girl says

    April 07, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    This is so cute. Found your post on Two Uses Tuesday. Glad I did. 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      April 09, 2015 at 8:44 am

      Thanks so much for visiting!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. New Adventures and an Etsy Shop - The Palette Muse says:
    October 10, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] a few weeks ago, when I posted a two-part tutorial on block printing? I realized about halfway through writing the second part of the tutorial that most of my regular […]

    Reply
  2. Linocut Block Printing Part 2 - The Palette Muse says:
    October 13, 2014 at 8:10 am

    […] of Linocut Block Printing! I hope you’ve had fun drawing and carving your block. Check out Part 1 if you need help with that part of the process. Today we pick up where we left […]

    Reply
  3. Two Uses Tuesday Link Up 24 | Sarah Celebrates says:
    April 13, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    […] from The Palette Muse shares the lost art of Linocut Block Printing (bottom, […]

    Reply

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I'm Meredith, the designer, crafter, and DIY-er behind The Palette Muse. I love all things colorful and creative, and I love sharing them with you. Thanks for visiting today!

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