How I make linocut prints

Everyone does linocut differently! And my process is always changing. Here's what it currently looks like:

1. I design on Procreate w my beloved iPad I bought during the pandemic shutdown 💛

Prepping the block:

2. I use sandpaper to rough up the surface of the lino block (made of linoleum, rubber, or plastic) so it can accept ink—otherwise it'll just sit on the surface. I use a dropper to add fountain pen ink and rub it around the entire surface with a paper towel. This makes the surface a different color than the material below, making it easier to see where you cut.

3. I print the design in black and white (machine printer) and transfer the image to the block using Saral paper. Basically, I make a sandwich of design-Saral-block.

4. I trace on the Saral sandwich so that where I press, Saral leaves a white powdery mark. This can be wiped away easily so I need to go over it again with something permanent (usually Sharpie or Posca fine liners—I find microns suck for this purpose).

Cutting:

5. Finally I can start cutting! I start with a medium V blade (I use Speedball blades I sharpen with a SlipStrop) to outline the areas I marked with my fine liner. Then, I detail with the smallest V blade, and lastly carve out the big areas of negative space with my wide U blade.

• Tip: The widest blades are the easiest to use but will cut in places you don't want them to. Don't be lazy like me and switch to the tiny blades for details.

6. Once I've refined as much as I can, I ink up my brayer (ink roller) and go over the design, which will reveal all the places that still need to be cut down. I'll take the high points down, ink the block again, and refine further; rinse and repeat as much as needed.

Printing:

7. I stick the block down with some double-sided tape onto my craft mat. Ink is messy and WILL get everywhere. Then, I line up the paper (always practice with shitty paper first) so that the top of the sheet lines up with the top of the block, printing side down. Stick the paper down with regular tape, creating a little hinge so all you have to do is turn the page over the block and everything is aligned.

8. Ink up the block with your brayer.

• Tip: Water based ink is cheaper and easier to work with, in terms of clean up. However, it dries quickly and soaks into your block so you need to work fast and