Introduction
For those who, like me, haven’t heard of lino drawing before, it's essentially a thick rubber pad that you engrave an image onto, roll some ink on, then press it onto a piece of thick paper to create anything from a masterpiece to an artistic-looking black splodge.
You’d likely recognise the design style from old posters and screen-printed T-shirts; the principles are much the same
Project Motivation & Objectives
Learn the lino drawing process and common pitfalls
Spend some quality time with my mum
Create a half-decent drawing that I would put up on my wall
The Experience
I was surprised at how little equipment was needed to do Lino drawing, essentially all you need is a lino (or linoleum if you’re a professional) block, a linocut (a specific lino cutting tool), a roller, some ink and Lino paper to print the ink onto.
Not bad considering most of it could be reused. When I first opened it, I was surprised at how rubbery and heavy the lino felt. I’d expected it ot be a bit thinner and more bendy.
My first task was deciding what to draw, which in itself turned out to be quite the challenge. After lots of deliberation, I decided to go for an octopus, a nice, simple shape with patterns I could easily add to, assuming it went well.
The carving tool was awkward at best. It’s surprising how much pressure you need to consistently dig into the lino to keep a consistent depth. After a few hand cramps, my drawing of the octopus didn't look too bad.
Using a pencil to outline where you wanted the carvings to go was a real hack here- much less risky!
The next challenge was the ink. I didn't really know how much ink would be needed for the octopus to be visible.
Nightmare, far too much ink or not enough, hardly an octopus in sight! The waters must have been murky that day…
My first attempt, as pictured above, did not end well. I’d massively underestimated how thick the ink was and how thin my lines were.
Back to the carving board!
Quickly realising that I’d need to turn my octopus into something much more ‘stamp-like’ to get the effect I wanted, it was clear that big changes to my initial design would be needed.
Namely, carving away the outside of the lino to raise the main body, and adding some tentacle detail to make it look more sucker like.
After many more hand cramps and satisfying carvings, he was ready! Next up, Ink.
Knowing how much ink to use is also a skill in itself; too much and no detail is visible, too little and you won’t see any of the main design.
Rolling it onto the lino is so incredibly satisfying it makes this loud “tack” sound and is proper gooey.
Once covered, it was ready for my first attempt
You need to make sure to roll the roller a few times to make sure it’s completely covered before applying it directly to the lino itself, and making sure the whole design is adequately covered
After 2 more attempts, the ink had begun to thin and spread easily on my roller, and the remembrance of the Octopus beneath emerged.
A few minor tweaks and my first lil octopus was ready!
I was pretty chuffed with the fella, I hadn’t anticipated the scrappy outlines to still be visible, but I think it gives it a very Japanese style look, which I like.
The best bit with this style of art is that you can replicate it as many times as you like, and each design will come out a little different depending on how much ink you use and which details are transferred
He might not make it into any fine art museum, but he has a charm. I popped him in a frame and he now sits proudly on my desk.
Not bad for a first go!
Introduction
For those who, like me, haven’t heard of lino drawing before, it's essentially a thick rubber pad that you engrave an image onto, roll some ink on, then press it onto a piece of thick paper to create anything from a masterpiece to an artistic-looking black splodge.
You’d likely recognise the design style from old posters and screen-printed T-shirts; the principles are much the same
Project Motivation & Objectives
Learn the lino drawing process and common pitfalls
Spend some quality time with my mum
Create a half-decent drawing that I would put up on my wall
The Experience
I was surprised at how little equipment was needed to do Lino drawing, essentially all you need is a lino (or linoleum if you’re a professional) block, a linocut (a specific lino cutting tool), a roller, some ink and Lino paper to print the ink onto.
Not bad considering most of it could be reused. When I first opened it, I was surprised at how rubbery and heavy the lino felt. I’d expected it ot be a bit thinner and more bendy.
My first task was deciding what to draw, which in itself turned out to be quite the challenge. After lots of deliberation, I decided to go for an octopus, a nice, simple shape with patterns I could easily add to, assuming it went well.
The carving tool was awkward at best. It’s surprising how much pressure you need to consistently dig into the lino to keep a consistent depth. After a few hand cramps, my drawing of the octopus didn't look too bad.
Using a pencil to outline where you wanted the carvings to go was a real hack here- much less risky!
The next challenge was the ink. I didn't really know how much ink would be needed for the octopus to be visible.
Nightmare, far too much ink or not enough, hardly an octopus in sight! The waters must have been murky that day…
My first attempt, as pictured above, did not end well. I’d massively underestimated how thick the ink was and how thin my lines were.
Back to the carving board!
Quickly realising that I’d need to turn my octopus into something much more ‘stamp-like’ to get the effect I wanted, it was clear that big changes to my initial design would be needed.
Namely, carving away the outside of the lino to raise the main body, and adding some tentacle detail to make it look more sucker like.
After many more hand cramps and satisfying carvings, he was ready! Next up, Ink.
Knowing how much ink to use is also a skill in itself; too much and no detail is visible, too little and you won’t see any of the main design.
Rolling it onto the lino is so incredibly satisfying it makes this loud “tack” sound and is proper gooey.
Once covered, it was ready for my first attempt
You need to make sure to roll the roller a few times to make sure it’s completely covered before applying it directly to the lino itself, and making sure the whole design is adequately covered
After 2 more attempts, the ink had begun to thin and spread easily on my roller, and the remembrance of the Octopus beneath emerged.
A few minor tweaks and my first lil octopus was ready!
I was pretty chuffed with the fella, I hadn’t anticipated the scrappy outlines to still be visible, but I think it gives it a very Japanese style look, which I like.
The best bit with this style of art is that you can replicate it as many times as you like, and each design will come out a little different depending on how much ink you use and which details are transferred
He might not make it into any fine art museum, but he has a charm. I popped him in a frame and he now sits proudly on my desk.
Not bad for a first go!