Block Print Magic

The Essential Guide to Designing, Carving, and Taking Your Artwork Further with Relief Printing

Emily Louise Howard

• Publisher: Rockport Publishers
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781631596162
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

An essential guide to linoleum block printing techniques, with seventeen step-by-step projects and insights from some of today's most talented printmakers. Block Print Magic is the perfect reference for a wide range of printmaking enthusiasts. The easy-to-follow illustrated instruction takes you through every step of the process, beginning with choosing and caring for tools and setting up a studio, through design essentials, carving techniques, and printing techniques. Those techniques include multi-block printing, reduction cuts, puzzle blocks, and rainbow-roll printing. Advanced carving techniques for creating textures, crosshatching, and three-dimensional shading will give you the opportunity to expand and strengthen your expertise. Among the visually stunning projects you'll learn to create:

• Colorful, multi-block hex sign
• Reduction cut sunflowers print
• One-page pocket zine from a single block
• Fabric wall hanging embellished with embroidery

Along with author Emily Howard's own work, artist spotlights feature interviews with and examples of work by five other contemporary artists—Lili Arnold, Jen Hewett, Kelli MacConnell, Derrick Riley, and Aftyn Shah—as a means of clarifying how each technique can be used in different ways.

CHAPTER 1

ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND MATERIALS

In this chapter, you’ll learn about the basic materials needed to take you from bright idea to successful linocut print. Linocut printing is a form of relief printing, the process of pulling a print from a carved block, where the ink is deposited on the remaining (uncarved) areas of the block. One of my favorite things about relief printmaking is that you don’t need expensive equipment to make studio-quality prints, and most tools are relatively affordable. There are lots of brands of tools, papers, blocks, and inks to try, so research and experiment to find what works best for you.

ESSENTIAL TOOLS

Blocks

CARVING BLOCKS

Though printmaking encompasses many different types of carving surfaces, this book focuses on the use of linoleum and rubber blocks. Soft rubber is often a good choice for younger, less experienced printmakers as it is easy to cut with beginner’s tools. I also prefer soft rubber when printing on fabric. The sturdier linoleum is harder to cut and requires sharp tools but its density holds detailed cuts beautifully, and it is less likely to accidentally squish and bleed during printing.

LINOLEUM BLOCKS

Made of linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, and pine resin, linoleum is a medium that many artists choose to work in because of its renewable composition. It comes in a variety of small-to-medium standard sizes as well as in large rolls, and due to its flexibility it can be cut into any shape. Many professional printmakers prefer the unmounted “battleship gray” linoleum.

Linoleum sometimes comes mounted on thick blocks of composite wood and although these can’t be easily manipulated into different shapes, the wooden backing provides extra support and protection for your carving. The weight of the mounted block also helps to keep your carving stable when you peel off the print.

Linoleum (mounted or unmounted) can be heated to help carving tools move through them more smoothly: you can do this by covering the block with a towel and gliding over it with a clothes iron on a medium setting. Or you can simply warm it with a hairdryer. I personally find that sitting on a block heats it up just enough. If you keep your carving tools sharp, however, you may not need to heat your block.

Linoleum should always be stored flat, away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Light, extreme temperatures, and time will eventually cause your linoleum to become hard, warped, crumbly, and infuriating to carve. I don’t keep much linoleum on hand because fresh linoleum cuts best.

From top to bottom: MOO Carve Professional Carving Block; Speedball Speedy-Carve; Speedball Speedy-Cut; Speedball mounted linoleum block; Blick battleship gray unmounted linoleum.

The loose-weave burlap on the back of unmounted linoleum, also referred to as the hessian backing.

RUBBER BLOCKS

Rubber blocks such as Soft-Kut, MOO Carve, and Speedy-Carve are a good alternative to traditional linoleum: they’re generally much softer and easier for the blade of your carving tools to bite into. It takes only a fraction of the power necessary to push a blade through linoleum. The softest of the blocks, like MOO Carve, require only the lightest flicks of your blades so a steady hand is very helpful. Rubber blocks are great for detailed work and won’t get crumbly as linoleum sometimes does.

Carving Tools and Tool Care

Most starter kits come with a variety of blade widths and shapes, ranging from the narrowest veiners to the widest U-shaped blad...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Essential Tools and Materials
• Chapter 2: Essential Techniques
• Chapter 3: The Basics
• Chapter 4: Targeted Techniques
• Chapter 5: Waste Not
• Glossary
• Resources
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Index
• Dedication
• Copyright