Learn Block Printing!
Berkeley Staff 
Starting out in Block Printmaking:
I am completely biased towards this subject: I adore block printmaking. (a.k.a “relief printmaking”) Block printing is the most primitive means of “mass producing” images. The basic technology of it goes back to the Middle Ages (or even earlier.) You carve away the areas that you want to be white. What is left raised will pick up the ink and print as black (or your chosen color.) It tends to produce very bold, graphic effects, although it can also be very sophisticated. Woodblock and linoleum block prints use the same basic technique, the main difference being that wood has a grain and linoleum does not. Most beginners start with lino because it is easier to carve and more widely available. (I work with both, depending on what effect I am going for and which one is handy at the time. Linoleum is easier to work with than wood for designs that include many fine details and curving lines. Wood will encourage you to carve in a certain direction, while linoleum is equally carvable in all directions. The appeal of wood is in its grain and texture.)
Part I- Planning your design and preparing your block
You need:
Sketching materials
Linoleum block
Carving tools
Tracing paper (optional)
Drawing ink (optional)
Bold, high-contrast designs tend to work best. Any shading will have to be through hatching. Delicate black-on-white line work is the most difficult to achieve, because you need to carve away on either side of the line. (White-on-black lines are a piece of cake.)
Experiment!
I like to coat my wood or linoleum blocks with a wash of ink and let it dry before I start carving. That way, each cut shows up clearly against the dark background, and it is much easier to visualize how the finished print will look. Linoleum has a slick surface and doesn’t always like to take the ink wash, which can tend to bead up. It helps to wipe it clean with a wet rag or paper towel. Higgins Black Magic ink works well.
Don’t forget that your image is going to print in reverse. (The print will be a mirror image of the block.) This is particularly important if you are including text in your image. It helps to sketch out your design on tracing paper and then flip it over. You can also take your block-in-progress and hold it up to a mirror, to make sure that your design looks as good in reverse as you think it will.
Linoleum gets a bit softer and easier to carve when it is warm. It helps to blow on it with a hot hair dryer.
Tools: at a bare minimum, you need a v-shaped blade for carving out fine lines, a wider u-shaped blade for clearing large areas, and a straight knife (similar to an X-acto.)
Speedball makes a lino cutter set with a handle and 5 interchangeable blades which is a good way to start out. If you get into woodblock carving as well as lino carving, you may want to get a set of more durable woodcut tools that can be re-sharpened. (Avoid the very small sets that are intended for whittling or craft work. Get something specifically intended for woodblock carving.)
Above: Left to right, v-tools made by Edward C. Lyons (set of 5 tools, Utrecht item #44232) Loew-Cornell (set of 5 tools, item #44233), and Speedball (handle and 5 blades, item #55826)
Part II: Printing your block
You need: A brayer (a soft rubber roller) for applying your ink. (They are available in sizes from 1.5 to 6 inches. 4 inches is good size for most purposes.)
An inking plate (Anything smooth and flat will work. A glass palette is excellent.)
A palette knife or ink knife (recommended for spreading the ink on your inking plate.)
A baren or spoon for applying pressure
Paper (the ideal for hand printmaking is something that is both thin and sturdy. I like Rives Lightweight or mulberry paper. Newsprint or sketch paper can be used for trial proofs.)
Block printing ink (both water- and oil- based inks are available. Water based inks dry more quickly and are easier to clean up. Oil based inks stay workable longer, but require mineral spirits or another solvent for cleanup.)
Spread your ink on your inking plate and roll it out with your brayer. You will know it is ready when it looks even and makes a “thwwwwk” kissing sound as you roll the brayer across. Roll the ink onto your block, making sure that all important areas are covered.
Move the block to a clean surface. Lay your sheet of printing paper onto the block. With a spoon or baren, thoroughly burnish the back side of the printing paper. The nice thing about using a thinner printing paper is that you can see where your ink is picking up. When you are finished burnishing, carefully lift the paper. Congratulations! You have a print! (Now repeat, if you can make several prints all the same you will have an edition!)
Part III: Registration
If you are making a simple one-color print, you can probably just eyeball it, but where registration is important, it is useful to make a registration guide. This shows where your block is positioned in relation to your paper, and enables you to combine multiple blocks in one image. (You can remove one block and put in a second color block, in full confidence that they will be in sync.) I make a simple registration guide out of cardboard. I cut the cardboard to the size of my paper and cut an opening in the board the size of my block. That way I know my block will not slide or go anywhere. After I lay my paper over the block, I clip it down with bulldog clips, so I know it will not go anywhere either. When the first block is printed, I do not unclip the paper… instead I gently lift it, remove the first block and put in the second inked block. That way the two blocks can’t help but line up. It’s a nearly foolproof system. Congratulations! You, too, can be a block printing master.
Sincerely,
Alexis Babayan
Shameless self-promotion: You can check out my woodcuts, linocuts, and other artwork at www.flickr.com/photos/babayan
Detail: the carved linoleum block
Proof of the carved linoleum block
(art copyright A. Babayan 2007)
No Comments