Linocutting is also known as lino printing, or linoleum art. It is a printmaking technique, similar to traditional woodblock printing, where a piece of linoleum is carved into a design and a layer of ink is rolled on top and then pressed onto paper to make an imprint. The texture from the hand carving, and variations in ink density from printing by hand, gives the resulting image a rustic charm and timeless feel lending itself well to folkloric themes, and folktale motifs. For this reason, I believe linocut printmaking is an ideal medium through which these timeless, heartwarming stories can be brought to life.
In the photos provided on this page, and videos below, you can see the different stages of creating a linocut print. First a design is sketched out on a piece of artist’s linoleum. A great deal of thought goes into the organizing the shapes and textures, lights and darks, and figuring out which parts of the linoleum block need to be carved and which parts get left untouched in order to achieve the desired image. Once the design process is complete, next comes the carving that is done with small gouge tools. When the linoleum is rolled with a thick ink, and paper is hand pressed on the top, the carved-out portion creates a negative area that is left white. The final prints are bold and powerful, with high contrast between paper and ink. In a two-layer reduction linocut (as demonstrated in the videos below), the process is divided into two parts where the linoleum block is carved and printed with a light color ink, and then the block of linoleum is carved a second time and printed with a darker ink. In a reduction linocut, you can only make a limited number of prints because once you carve the linoleum block a second time, you can never return to the first layer.
Pulling the paper off of the inked block of linoleum revealing an imprint of the carved design. This artwork is inspired by Sky Woman, the original woman who falls from the sky bearing gifts of seeds, fruits and branches which she plants on Turtle’s back, from Haudenosaunee (Native American) folklore, retold beautifully by Robin Wall Kimmerer in her bestseller book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.
Traditional handcarved printmaking is an art form that has long been created by artisans and is associated with ordinary folks and everyday people rather than upper classes. This is because printmaking allows for duplication of an image which makes it accessible to a wider audience. Traditional printmaking also relies on the simple materials of wood or linoleum, a carving tool, natural inks, and paper rather than expensive materials. I love how the medium of linocut printmaking not only pairs so well with folktales and folklore which originate from ordinary folk, but because of its duplication capacity, it also becomes more accessible to ordinary people than traditional oil painting.
A finished carved block of artist’s linoleum which has been rolled with black ink ready for the first print! This one is inspired by the Selkies from Irish, Scottish and Icelandic folklore.
Since linoleum is softer than wood and has no grain, linocuts can show a wider variety of effects than woodcuts. It is possible to etch out fine feathers, strands of fir and scales on a fish as well as details such as the bark of a tree or blades of wild grasses enabling these distinctive textures from nature to come to focus. Folktale art often has symbolic meanings, the clear contrasts and bold colors that are unique to block printing allow for these symbols to come to focus. Many folktales also have a simple, deep message, as well as contrasting themes like good and evil, or love and hate, and linocuts, with their clearly defined shapes, patterns and textures really allow for these themes to be effectively expressed.
Handcarved printmaking historically began in China, and has since had a long global journey. Linocut printmaking was first extensively used in Europe by the artists of the Grosvenor School, followed by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. It was first displayed in the United States in New York city in 1911, with the first large scale color linocuts by an American artist created in 1943-1945.
I first experimented with linocutting in high school, but did not begin to develop my skills until a few years ago after I picked up some tools at the art store and began experimenting in my studio. This is my favorite way to learn, and I’m still discovering every day.
Hand carving and hand printing The Weaver of the World and Trickster Crow inspired by a White Mountain Apache folktale.
Video series: a two-color reduction linocut
2. After the block is carved, a layer of ink is rolled onto the linoleum
3. Paper is pressed on top of the ink and an image is imprinted on the paper. Here is the first layer in what is called a “two-layer color reduction linocut”
4. In a two-layer color reduction linocut, the same block of linoleum is carved once more
After carving the linoleum block a second time, here I am rolling another layer of ink onto the block before printing a second time.
The final print of a two-layer color reduction linocut
Explore more Blog Posts
Whether it is a giant beanstalk, benevolent flowers, wise herbs, sacred birch goddesses or mossy coats, many ancient folktales remind us how our ancestors lived in harmony with plants, relying on them not only for sustenance but also for healing, protection, wisdom, empowerment and inspiration. Ancient plant folktales encapsulate wisdom and teachings passed down through generations, reflecting the roles that flora and fauna have played for our survival, cultural identity and in the mythic imagination, often intersecting all three.