The works displayed on this website are linocuts, printed by hand from linoleum
blocks. All of my linocuts are original prints. An original print is an image taken from a block or a plate that was conceived
and created to be printed. Each image is developed with the idea that it will eventually be printed multiple times to produce
an edition. The initial drawing and the actual block are just stepping stones, the matrices that lead to the resulting prints.
Each time the block is inked and run through the press, an original work of art is produced.
The Process of Creating A Linocut
I begin by making a drawing of each image. When the initial drawing is completed,
I transfer it onto a block of battleship linoleum. Because the block is a mirror image of what I want to see in the resulting
prints, the drawing appears backwards on the block. Using hand tools with v or u-shaped gouges, I carve out the white areas
in the block. The areas that are left uncarved will appear as blacks in the resulting print. Periodically during the carving
process, I will print the block to see my progress. This enables me to make corrections as I work. When the carving is completed, the block is ready to print. I use oil-based block printing inks. These
inks contain a high concentration of pigment, so only a thin layer of ink is necessary. The ink is applied using a polyurethane
roller called a brayer. All of the areas that have been carved away are recessed from the surface. When the brayer is rolled
over these areas, the ink does not collect in the recesses. Once the block has been inked sufficiently, a piece of printmaking
paper is placed over the block. It is rolled through a printmaking press, which pushes the paper down onto the linoleum. The
pressure from the press rollers forces the ink into the paper. The finished print is the impression that is made when this
process occurs.
© Katherine W. Linn
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