Linocut and Printmaking

64 products

All Acrylic paints Watercolors Oil paints Gouache and tempera paints Linocut printing inks Airbrush Acrylic paint sets Oil paint sets
Skip to results list
Sort
Sort
About this category
In short

Linocut is a relief printmaking technique: you carve a design into linoleum with a cutter, roll printing ink onto it and print it onto paper. To get started you need lino, cutters, a roller and ink – the ESSDEE kits include lino, cutters and other tools in one pack.

Linocut is one of the basic printmaking techniques – from one carved design you can make multiple prints. Below you’ll find out what you need for linocut and how to do it.

What is linocut and how does it work?

Linocut is a relief printing technique. You carve a design into a linoleum block using cutters – the carved-away areas stay white on the print. Use a roller to apply printing ink to the lino and print it onto paper. Remember that the print is a mirror image, so draw any lettering on the lino in reverse.

What do you need for linocut?

What What for Examples
Linocut kits lino, cutters and, depending on the kit, a roller and ink ESSDEE 22 pieces – 7 lino blocks, 100 mm roller, 6 blades, ink · ESSDEE 10 pieces – 3 lino blocks, 3 cutters, roller, ink · ESSDEE 8 pieces – 5 cutters, 2 round lino blocks for stamps
Cutters handle with interchangeable blades Daler-Rowney Adigraf – 5 V and U tips · cutter with 5 blades · 12 ESSDEE handles
Rollers for applying ink evenly ESSDEE 50 mm · ESSDEE 100 mm · ESSDEE 150 mm · Pebeo 50 mm · silicone roller 6–15 cm
Linocut inks printing inks in tubes and sets Essdee Premium 5 × 100 ml · Schmincke aqua-LINOPRINT · Schmincke College Linol · Pebeo Lino 80 ml · KREUL black 20 ml
Tools and paper stable working, mediums, printing paper lino bench hook · drying retarder · LINO clean · Canson Edition 250 g/m²

Linocut step by step

  1. Draw your design on the lino.
  2. Use a cutter to carve away the areas that should stay white; cut fine lines with a narrow V tip and larger areas with a wide U tip. Place the lino on a bench hook, always cut away from yourself and keep your other hand out of the cutter’s path.
  3. Squeeze a little ink onto a tray or a sheet of glass and roll it out into a thin, even layer.
  4. Use the roller to apply the ink to the lino.
  5. Lay the paper on top and press it down evenly – the ESSDEE 10-piece kit includes a baren for this, and the assembled handle of the ESSDEE 8-piece kit also works as a printing press.
  6. Carefully peel off the paper and let the print dry.

Linocut – frequently asked questions

Where can I buy lino for linocut?

You’ll find lino in the ESSDEE kits: the 22-piece kit has 7 lino blocks in different sizes and shapes, the 10-piece kit has two 15 × 10.5 cm blocks and one 7.5 × 4.5 cm block, and the 8-piece kit has two round self-adhesive blocks, 4.5 cm in diameter, for making stamps.

What’s the difference between linoleum and a soft rubber block for linocut?

Linoleum is harder and is often warmed before cutting to soften it; it can crumble when you cut fine lines. A 5 × 5 cm soft rubber block cuts at room temperature with a light stroke of the cutter and holds sharp edges even with small lettering – ideal for stamps and small prints.

Which linocut inks should I choose?

Essdee and KREUL printing inks are water-based, and Pebeo Lino is a highly pigmented water-based ink. Schmincke aqua-LINOPRINT (35 and 120 ml packs) comes in 18 shades and College Linol (75 ml) in 16 shades.

Can you use linocut to print on fabric?

Yes – Pebeo Lino ink is designed for paper, card and flat textiles. On fabric, the design needs to be fixed with an iron; once cured, it’s permanent.

Printmaking Inks Stamps Creative Kits and Sets