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, along with all sorts of other time consuming creative endeavors), 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
First, gather your supplies.
You’ll need:
- Pencil and paper for sketching designs
- Tracing paper
- Graphite or carbon paper
- Lino Grip or another grippy material so your block doesn’t slide all over the place while you’re carving
- Linocut block
- 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:
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.
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.
Once your image is transferred to the block, you are ready for carving.
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.
Fit the smallest gouge blade onto the handle. Start by carving the outlines.
A couple of 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.
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:
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 next week 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!
shonee says
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
Meredith says
You’re right! The possibilities are endless… Thanks for stopping by!
Susan Cooper/findingourwaynow.com says
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. 🙂
Meredith says
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.
jacquiegum says
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:)
Meredith says
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. 🙂
Tim says
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.
Meredith says
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!
Arleen says
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.
Meredith says
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!
Lenie Hokansson (@LenieHokansson) says
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
Meredith says
Thanks Lenie, I’ll let her know she got your vote. 🙂
Sue Hines says
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.
Meredith says
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.
Donna Janke says
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.
Meredith says
See? Learn something new every day! That’s my favorite thing about following other folks’ blogs, you never know what you’ll find…
Ken Dowell says
That is a very cool piece of art. Love its simplicity.
Meredith says
Thank you Ken!
Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) says
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.
Meredith says
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….
Maxwell Ivey says
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
Meredith says
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!
Jeannette Paladinoj says
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.
Meredith says
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. 🙂
thetraveloguer says
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! 🙂
Meredith says
Haha, there’s nothing scarier than a class full of adolescents running around with sharp instruments!
Deidre M. Simpson says
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.
Meredith says
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.
rachel621 says
I remember this from art class in high school. I made a frog. I always liked the block itself as an art piece too!
Meredith says
I love frogs! You’ve just given me a project idea. 🙂
Christina says
How neat, it’s like you’re creating your own stamp!
Meredith says
That’s exactly what it’s like, Christina! The possibilities are endless…
Jill @ Do Try This at Home says
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.
Meredith says
That’s a great way to do it with kids – much easier! I may have to try that next time…
TheRecipeHunter says
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! 😉
Meredith says
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.
Amanda @ The Kolb Corner says
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!
Meredith says
Thanks for stopping by Amanda. It’s really fun and challenging – you should give it a try!
Smart Girl says
This is so cute. Found your post on Two Uses Tuesday. Glad I did. 🙂
Meredith says
Thanks so much for visiting!