My lino printing adventure (so far!)

When I was a kid I was always doodling and drawing. I still do a little bit, but not as much, so I gave myself the goal of getting more crafty in 2025.

But where to start?

During lockdown, my mother-in-law gave me a basic lino-cutting kit for my birthday so I could have a go at printmaking. I'd been inspired to ask for the tools largely because of the folk horror and cult TV work of Richard Wells, including this print of Bok from Doctor Who which hangs on my studio wall:

The idea with lino printing is that you:

a) carve a design onto a linoleum block,

b) apply ink to the uncarved areas.

c) press paper or fabric onto the block to transfer the image.

Simple.

I watched videos and read up on the process, but never really got on with it, although the idea of giving linocutting another go stuck with me, nagging away at the back of my head.

Then, at Christmas, while googling for folk music gigs in Bristol, I stumbled on a place called the Bristol Folk House, hidden away behind Park Street in Bristol.

The oldest adult education centre in Bristol, the Folk House began life as a Baptist mission in 1870, based first in a cottage, then a former synagogue and ultimately to its current location, where it's been since 1964. It staved off bankruptcy in 1996, becoming a co-operative offering all manner of courses from arts and crafts to languages and music.

And there on the list was a five-week lino printing course. I signed up there and then and, two months later, found myself nervously attending my first lesson, learning the basics from the awesome Kerry Day alongside a fun group of fellow novices.

That first week consisted of trying out strokes and cuts with various levels of success.

Well, you've got to start somewhere...

Then came the challenge to find something to do as my first proper design the following week. In just seven days, I had to go from the rather dodgy sampler above to something resembling a proper print.

Gulp.

But, hey, that's why I'm doing the class. To learn. So, when I got home, I flicked open my sketchbook and started doodling.

This fella seemed simple enough, so I recreated him on my iPad...

...and printed him out for my next lesson, where he was traced and transferred onto a block of lino, adding a little Godzilla-inspired flame in the process...

The next step was to go over him in Sharpie...

And give the lino a wash of watered-down paint to make it easier to see which bits have been cut once started...

Prep done, the carving began...

And continued into last week's lesson, taking away the bits I didn't want to print and leaving the bits I did...

I'm just heading out for this week's class where I'll finish the cut and, hopefully, get ready to make my first print!

Wish me luck!

I'll post the results here on the blog, whether they're good or a kaiju-sized disaster!