The coffee is in hand and it's time to create!
Today is the day to whip out the Lino printing kit and get on with creating. I've woken up facing my birthday presents that were two lovely plant pots containing succulents and I have been inspired. This is the perfect set up for my first lino print!
If you want to have a go at creating your very own Lino prints, then follow the simple steps below and make sure that you are tagging @bettycreativehq on socials so that I get to see what you have made!
Step 1 - Transferring your design onto the Lino
Create your image that you want to use as your stamp. I use Adobe programmes for this, but if you don't have the Adobe suite of programmes, you can just as easily create an image to use to make your print by taking a photograph using a black and white filter with a high contrast setting, so that you get that clear distinction between the black and white sections. You need to remember that the black sections of your image are going to be the sections that leave ink on your page and the white sections will be the sections that you use your Lino-cutting tools to carve away the Lino.
Print out your image the size you would like your stamp to be from your computer onto regular printer paper. Place your printed image face down on your sheet of Lino and line it up to make sure that you are reducing any chance of wasted space on your Lino. Hold the paper in place and using a pencil, colour over the section of where your design is by pressing hard with your pencil. You need to press down hard otherwise you image will be too faint to work with. I have found that this is best done just after you have printed your image out so that the printer ink is still damp and easy to transfer. Remove your sheet of paper, which will reveal the design on the Lino.
TOP TIP
If you are planning on being a bit more adventurous and adding text to your print, make sure that you DO NOT mirror the text when you print it out on the computer. You need to print the text the right way round, when it is transferred onto the Lino it will be mirrored... and then when you stamp the design it will read the correctly.
Step 2 - Etching the Lino
I find it easiest when using the transferred image as a guide, to etch out the sections of the design that are white, leaving the black sections as the parts of the design that will be printed. Often you will find that there will be some elements of the design that haven't fully transferred, but you can freestyle these sections. BE BRAVE!
You will find that in your Lino cutting tool kit that you have a selection of tools to choose from. For my particular print I chose the tool pictured below for the majority of the design as it allowed me to etch out thin lines and detail. For the background I wanted to create a textured look that was less uniformed, so I used a larger tool so that more Lino was carved out at once. Cut around the edge of your etched design to create the stamp.
Step 3 - Test print time!
You are now ready to start practising with your stamp and seeing whether you are happy with how the final design is going to print. Use normal printer paper for this rather than your best stock as these are just experiments to see how the print will work. If you have found that you need extra Lino etched out to tweak your design after seeing your first test print then do this now.
I used the Lino printing roller to evenly spread about a 10p sized amount of ink onto a piece of scrap card, evenly coating the roller. I'm going to invest in a piece of acrylic as this would work best, but I was working with what I had to hand at the time. Once the roller has an even coating of ink on it then use it to apply the ink to the etched Lino. This may take a few coats and you need to push down quite hard to make sure that every part of the design that needs inking, has enough ink.
Now it's time to add those finishing touches.
Step 4 - Creating your stamp
You could leave your carved lino as it is and stamp it by placing paper on top of it and applying pressure, however I was keen to finish off the design by turning it into an easy to use stamp using a wooden block.
I cut a piece of leftover wood to the size of my stamp and sanded any sharp edges or corners and once again inked up my roller and coated the Lino print with ink. Once you are happy that your Lino is evenly coated, line it up with your prepared piece of wood and stamp it onto the wood. Make sure that you hold the stamp steady in place and apply a good amount of pressure to it and carefully peel back the Lino. By doing this you will be able to see which way up you are printing with your stamp quickly and easily. Leave this to dry fully.
Once dry, turn the piece of wood over and glue your Lino print to the opposite side so that the top of your printed image on the wood is the same way up as your Lino. To attach the Lino to the wood block use whatever strong adhesive you have to work with. Make sure that its a nice even coating so that there are no lumps and bumps in the stamp when it dries.
Leave this to dry and there you have it, you've made your own stamp!
Step 5 - The big finale!
Congratulations!
Your Lino stamp is now complete. Go ahead and stamp everything... (OK, maybe not everything...). Make sure that you tag me @BettyCreativeHQ on socials so that I get to see your final inky creations!
Keep an eye out on my socials as this hand carved, hand printed design will be coming to my shop very soon!
Happy Stamping!
BCHQ x
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