Block Print for Beginners

Learn to make lino blocks and create unique relief prints

Elise Young

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781633228887
• eBook ISBN: 9781633228894
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Learn to create unique, contemporary works of art with traditional carving tools and printmaking techniques. Step-by-step projects and creative lino prints make it fun and easy.

Aspiring artists, illustrators, art students, and art hobbyists will discover how to use basic carving tools and techniques to design and create custom lino prints for distinctive works of art. Practical instruction combined with approachable step-by-step projects and inspirational imagery guide readers on an engaging, easy-to-follow exploration of block printing.

Following an introduction to essential materials, such as printmaking inks, linoleum blocks, carving tools, and papers, Block Print for Beginners demonstrates how to get from uncarved block to finished print, including transferring a drawing, carving the block, working with inks, and achieving the best print results. Once comfortable with the basics, aspiring printmakers can move on to explore a series of step-by-step tutorials for creating a variety of lino prints with blocks they can use over and over again.

From basic block prints to more advanced techniques, such as printing in repeated patterns and creating stationery, wrapping paper, wallpaper, and more, Block Print for Beginners provides a fresh, contemporary, and enjoyable approach to learning this time-treasured art form.

The Inspired Artist series invites art hobbyists and casual art enthusiasts to have fun learning basic art concepts, relaxing into the creative process to make art in a playful, contemporary style. Also from the series, find even more artistic inspiration with: Draw Every Little Thing, Paint Every Little Thing, and Watercolor Painting at Home.

BASIC BLOCK PRINTS

Now that you understand the basic techniques we explored in the previous pages, you’re ready to go through the whole process of carving, inking, and printing to create a final artwork! This section includes ten projects, each of which shows a different way to produce the final print. The projects in this section explore various types of block prints, as well as different ways of printmaking. Let’s get started!

Good news! Most of the projects in this section require similar tools and materials; however, for a few projects, you’ll find that you need a few extra supplies. Look for “Project Materials & Tools” at the start of each project to learn what you’ll need to complete the project. All the supplies are easily accessible from your favorite local or online art supply retailer.

ONE-COLOR BLOCK PRINT

For beginners, a perfect introduction to block printing is to simply use a single block and a single color. In this project, we’ll go through the basic steps to create a single-color block print with a simple design. As you become familiar with your tools and carving techniques, as well as inking and printing processes, you can move on to more complicated designs. For this piece, I chose a simple floral design. After you finish the first print edition with a single color, you can explore more dynamic compositions with various colors!

Tip:

To cut the linoleum block to printing size, place the traced design on the block and use a transparent acrylic ruler to make accurate lines for cutting. Make a smooth, clean line all the way through the block using the edge of a sharp craft knife.

Project Materials & Tools

• Drawing paper or sketchbook
• Dense linoleum carving block
• Tracing paper
• Soft-lead pencil (such as B or 2B)
• Carving tool set
• Printing paper (trimmed to the size of the carved block)
• Water-soluble block print ink in the colors of your choice
• Palette knife (optional, if using ink in a can)
• Inking plate
• Brayers
• Blank paper for print base
• Baren or wooden spoon
• Masking tape
• Bone folder
• Cutting mat
• Acrylic (or metal) ruler
• Craft knife

STEP 1:

Everything starts with sketching and drawing with pencil on drawing paper or in your sketchbook! Once you have created a final design with clean and accurate lines, cut a sheet of tracing paper to the same size as the sketch. Put the tracing paper on the original drawing and trace the image with a soft-lead pencil. You can use a few pieces of masking tape on the corners to keep the papers in place while tracing.

STEP 2:

Once the block is cut out, put the tracing paper facedown on the carving block to transfer the image. Evenly press down and rub the bone folder over the drawing, following eac...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Basic Block Prints
• Techniques Using Block & Stamp
• Creative Ideas for Carved Blocks
• Glossary
• Printmaking Resources
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright