Over the last few years, linocutting has become one of my favourite creative outlets. I only really discovered it less than four years ago but since then I’ve spent many hours/weeks/months of my life getting shoulder ache and eye strain carving little bits of rubber out of bigger bits of rubber… and loving every minute. I’ve recently reached a point where although in one way I feel pretty experienced at it, I’m simultaneously aware that I’m only really near the start of my journey. There’s so much more to learn and explore. So now feels like a good time to pause and look back at the story so far.
So, let’s go back to November 2017 when I wanted to design some Christmas cards for my new greetings card business, Helena Handcart. I was having an arty day in a friends studio and that’s probably what encouraged me to try something different to my usual pens and watercolours – other people’s art studios are always fun places to experiment! So out came the lino cutting tools and inks and a few hours later I’d produced a festive stag print.
If you’re interested in the process, linocutting involves transferring a design onto a slab of lino (drawing or tracing it - whatever works for you) and then carving out parts of the design to create a relief image in the lino block. While creating your design you have to bear in mind negative space (not just the shapes you’re making but the spaces between them) as any bit of the image you carve out will not appear on the final print. You also need to think in reverse because the whole image will also print out back to front. It can put your head in a spin and it’s very easy to make mistakes (and extremely hard to rectify them)!
Once the design is carved, you then use a roller to cover the lino with a layer of ink - making sure not to roll it on too thick and accidentally fill any of the smaller grooves. Placing paper on top of the inked lino and applying pressure (whether with a proper press, special baren or old fashioned back of a spoon) then allows the ink to transfer to the paper and, once lino and paper are peeled apart, there’s your final image. There’s always something a little magical about that moment.
I personally find linocutting really satisfying. I’m a bit of a perfectionist in general and with any other artistic medium can spend hours altering and adding colours and lines - often (I suspect) unnecessarily. Linocutting helps me avoid that because once a groove is cut, it’s cut - you can’t go back and fill it in. I also love working with one or two colours - the simplicity of it can create really striking effects.
Over the past three years I’ve created many more designs for Helena Handcart and also for various gifts and homewares available on Redbubble, Society 6 and in my Etsy store. As I’ve practiced I’ve been able to create more complex and intricate designs, some with really tiny details that have taken me days to complete - My ‘Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’ print (above, bottom right) is one such example.
This year I diversified my linocut range further in to jewellery. This involved making miniature linocuts and printing them on to a type of plastic. I’ve always liked doing miniature drawings so trying tiny linocuts made sense to me. I chose some of my best selling designs (fish, pylons and Mary Poppins - three patterns that have sold well as cards, magnets, notebooks and more besides) and did smaller versions of them while also trying some new ideas too. After working on bigger pieces it was also nice to do something smaller and slightly quicker! Earrings and pendants are now available on Etsy and I’ll be adding to the range over the coming months.
Speaking of Mary Poppins - I did a linocut of her flying over Big Ben that went on to become an official Etsy best seller, which made me really happy. It’s gone on to sell in loads of different formats, from mugs to magnets and cushions to clocks. On society 6 you can even get it on coffee tables!
In the photo below you can see the first few Mary Poppins prints I ever did hanging up to dry. The one with the gold Mary Poppins has always been the most popular but I’m always glad to sell one with the quote because it was so hard to carve with the words backwards. Also “There’s the whole world at your feet” is a nice optimistic quote, and bursts of optimism have been particularly welcome recently!
Even years later though and through the various ups and down of life, that original stag linocut maintains a special place in my heart. And despite its simplicity – or perhaps because of it – it remains a best seller to this day, winning new customers every festive season and even at other times of year. Sometimes it’s good to not over think things and to just follow your instincts.
So if you fancy trying your hand at linocutting, give it a go. You never know where it might take you.
