Texture in Linocuts

It is important to make use of texture in linocuts, especially if it is a one colour linocut.  Texture adds interest and realism.  You can create texture by using different sized tools.  All of my Calendar of Scottish Wildlife prints make use of texture to make the animals more life-like.  In the bats example below, you can see I’ve used a small tool to create the fur; and a broader tool for the grain of the wood.



Texture adds realism to this linocut of bats

The amount of texture you add can lead to a variation of shades of colour, and this can help to differentiate between areas. Look at the ‘Sleeping Rabbits’ print below which incorporates three different shaded areas. 



1.  The light hay, where only the thinnest lines have been left behind. 

2.  The mid tone rabbits where a thin tool has been used to create lots of short lines to give the impression of fur. 

3.  Finally, there is the almost solid, very dark earth, where the only texture is the occasional stone.



Variation in texture creates different shades of the same colour in this rabbit linocut

In creating texture, it is important not to over cut and clear out too much.  With my 2011 Christmas Bears card below, for example, I feel I was a bit over zealous in creating lines for the fur of Mummy Bear – I think she looks a bit bald compared to the others!

Be careful not to remove too much - poor balding Mummy Bear!

In creating a colour linocut, it is also important to add texture.  It can make a single area of colour lighter or darker, helping to describe the surface area and solidity of the subject.  Look at the grey section of the gannets below.  The solid grey in the beaks show how strong they are.  The textured grey highlights their feather and changes into a solid grey, to show the shaded areas.

Texture in the grey area shows the feathers in this gannet linocut.

Enjoy using your tools to create different textured effects in your linocuts!