Lino Cutting and Block Printing for the First Time

I’ve been investigating different ways to print on fabric and have finally given lino cutting and block printing a try. This is a process of carving a design into a piece of soft linoleum. Then you spreading a thin layer of paint over the surface and print on paper or fabric. See how it works in this video:

I really like the lino cutting kit I picked up to get started with. You can find it here on Amazon.com (yep, that’s an affiliate link to support my business).

Cutting out a Design in Linoleum

I admit, I found cutting the design out of lino much easier than the printing process! This special print making lino is soft and there are even softer types available too. The key I found is making a clear distinction between the uncut areas of the design and the background.

Cutting out a design in linoleum was fun, but slow!

I really want to try bigger shapes and designs, but that requires bigger pieces of linoleum!

All designs have to be reversed in order to print properly.

Block Printing for the First Time

Honestly, I found printing more challenging than cutting. I think I started with too much paint, but as I said in the video, I have no experience to go on so maybe that was the perfect amount!

My first ever prints which were very inconsistent, but still make great cards!

Then I played around with which direction to roll over the block or stamp. There definitely seems to be a “correct” amount of rubbing required to get a good print and it did take a bit of effort.

Just like picking up any new craft, I don’t expect to be perfect at this. I think it will take cutting around 100 designs to really get the hang of it and printing at least that many times too. But I can definitely see the potential of lino cutting and block printing for fabric design!

I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial. I enjoy learning new crafts occasionally and this was one of those times I realized I could turn on the camera and capture exactly what it’s like to begin a craft from the very first try. It’s not always pretty! It’s mostly tedious trial and error and sticking with it until you learn the basics.

Let’s go cut and print!

Leah Day