Two Colour Eider Duck Linocut

Eider duck linocut

I've just finished printing an edition of eider ducks linocut prints.  They were inspired by the eider ducks we saw while on holiday in Gardenstown.

Gardenstown is a beautiful village up in the North East of Scotland.  It's a fishing village built right on the sea.  It's a perfect place to visit as a family as it's almost car free and the beach is practically at your front door!  Lots of seabirds live there, including a population of eider ducks.

Gardenstown is built right on the sea

Gardenstown harbour

There is a large gannet colony nearby

At the MacDuff Aquarium

I decided to produce a simple two colour linocut.  I love the technical challenge of reducing what you would like to portray down to 4 colours: the colour of the paper; the 2 colours of each separate linocut panel; and the 4th colour where the panels overlap.

First panel inked up in black

 1.  Here you can see my first linocut panel, which is printed up in black.

Second panel inked up in blue

2.  I made a second panel, which I printed up in a grey-green blue.  You can see clearly in this photograph the overlap of colours, where there are ripples on the water.

3.  The edition of eider ducks prints drying off on the rack.  They are printed on to very beautiful but very fragile rice paper, so you need to stretch them out carefully.

Eider duck prints drying off

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!

Chine de Colle Technique

Chine de Colle is a technique which involves sandwiching coloured paper between the ink and the paper on which you’re printing.  My students have experimented with this technique much more than I have, so with their permission, I will be making reference to their prints.

Below, you can see Sophie’s design of her cat Milo.  Making his eyes yellow brings life and energy to the print. 

Karen also makes extensive use of the Chine de Colle design.  She had the brilliant idea of using cut outs from magazines to provide not only colour but texture to her prints.  In the print below, she has kept the lines of her linocut  very light and delicate; and used a cut out of flowers from a magazine to emphasise the body of the bird and imitate its feathers. 

Jennifer created a lovely series of butterfly cards using the chine de colle technique.  Here she has used origami paper for the wings, creating a beautiful image, with the patterned orange wings contrasting perfectly with the deep blue of the ink.

Ruthie, a 10 year old linocutter, has experimented very successfully with this technique.  She created a linocut of a sheep with a large ‘blank’ area in the middle.  She then used origami paper to produce a multi coloured herd of sheep,  which have a real impact when framed together.

Here’s how to do it.

1.  Use a draft print of the linocut to produce a template for the area you want to be covered with coloured paper.  In this case it is the body of the sheep.  Cut out the piece of paper to the shape required.  Patterned paper works better if your linocut is quite simple.  Plain coloured paper works well in drawing attention to a particular part of the linocut.

2.  Ink up your linocut. 

3.  Place the coloured paper front side down onto the inked up lino.  Being careful not to shift the paper, put a few dots of glue on the back.

4.  Put the paper you are printing onto over the linocut and transfer the print as usual, either using a press or by burnishing it.  Carefully life the paper off the linocut.

 If you are interested in doing a workshop with Three Bears Prints, have a look at :
http://www.threebearsprints.com/workshops

How to Make a Linocut

This post will give you instructions on how to make a linocut - I'll show you step by step how I produced my 'Rabbits at Home' linocut.   Happy linocutting!

Rabbit Linocut

1.     Sketch out your design.  Take into account practical matters, such as the dimensions of your paper – the rabbits, for example, are standard postcard size.  Be mindful of contrasting black and white areas, and textured versus plain areas.  Try to achieve a good balance between these.

2. Tracing. Trace your design using a dark pencil.

3. Transfer your design. Turn the tracing paper over and place it onto your lino. Tape your lino into place with masking tape to ensure nothing shifts while you’re transferring it. If it shifts, you will never be able to match it up again.



4. Highlight your Design. Go over your pencil lines with a waterproof marker such as a ‘Sharpie’ marker.

5. How to Cut. The important thing to remember is that that the areas your remove from the lino will not print. What you leave behind will be printed up. This means that you have to think in reverse. Be very careful not to over-cut and remove too much lino. This makes it flat and uninteresting. Also, avoid cutting through any important inter-connecting lines. On the finished print, you’ll see that I accidentally cut off one of the sleeping rabbit’s ears where it joins onto the head!

6.  Cut out your Design.  Cut out the main subject first.  Carefully go round the outside and inside lines of the design first.  Then cut out the inner part, creating texture and contrast as you go.  Use small tools on detailed areas, larger tools to clear large parts.

7.  Check your Progress.  One useful way of checking your progress is to use a bingo marker.  Colour the area you have just been cutting, lay a scrap sheet of paper on top, and take rubbing with an old spoon or your fist.

8.  Prepare your Inks.  With your design cut out, you’re now ready to print!  Prepare your inks.  Make sure you have enough of the colour you are using for the size of your print run.  Roll out a thin film of ink.

9.  Ink up your lino.  Roll the roller through the film of ink one way until it is loaded with ink.  Roll it onto the lino one way.  Make sure the lino has a thin sticky film of ink all over it.

10. Print your Linocut.  If using a press:  slot your lino into place on a registration board.  Carefully lay your paper over the lino.  Place packing materials (such as newspaper and card) on top and roll the press over.  You may need to experiment until you get the pressure correct.  If hand-printing:  slot your lino into place on a registration board and carefully lay your paper over the lino.  Burnish it by rubbing the back of the paper with a spoon.

11. The Great Reveal.  It’s time for the great reveal!  Slowly lift the paper up from one corner.  If the ink is patchy, carefully replace the paper and have another go with the press/spoon.

12. Blot Print.  Using tissue or scrap paper, blot the print to remove any excess ink.  Hang it up to dry.  Edition your prints.  If you print 10, number each one as being a series of 10 – e.g. 1/10, 2/10…10/10.

13. THE FINISHED PRINT!  Ta da .....

Finished 'Rabbits at Home' linocut

Tour of my Tool Kit

My tool kit is brilliant!  It was a gift from Mum and Dad is one of the best presents I've ever been given.  It was made by Scott Exeley Leathers out at Arthurstone near Meigle.  It's very cleverly designed, with a slot for each tool, and rolls up neatly.  It protects my tools, and when each slot is full, I am confident I have everything with me I need to create a linocut.

You can buy a very cheap lino cutting handle and individual tool heads you can screw into the handle - such as the red handled tool below.  However, I would strongly recommend buying 'Swiss cutting tools' - the wooden handled tools below - available from Intaglio Printmakers.  I have been amazed at the range of cuts you can make every time I’ve bought a new tool.It’s very true that a crafts person is only as good as their tools.

Once you’ve bought your tools, you also need to buy a leather strop and some honing paste to keep your tools sharp.  It’s really important to sharpen your tools every time before you start cutting and about once an hour while you’re creating your lino cut.



I keep other equipment in my tool kit - tools for cutting, and pencils and pens for laying out the designs.

 

If you're interested in doing a workshop or seeing my prints, have a look at http://www.threebearsprints.com/ or https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ThreeBearsPrints?ref=si_shop.

The Double Line Technique

You can also use what I call the ‘double line’ technique. This is where you use your tool to draw an inner outline to a shape. This helps to delineate and emphasise the features and structure of the shape. 

In a Christmas card I produced of Max, our black Patterdale terrier, you can see the use of this technique clearly .  Below is the both the linocut and a print of the whole card.




Linocut of Christmas Patterdale card

Print of Linocut of Christmas Patterdale

Let's take a closer look at the double line technique by focusing on the panel of Max and Santa looking at each other.  On the right, you can see how this linocut would have looked if I’d just used a single line to render his features.  To me this version looks flat, boring and too simple.  The version on the left is much more clearly delineated.




The same panel, but comparing the use of the single and 'double line' technique.

This is an especially useful technique as it means you can add detail and shape to an otherwise solid coloured area. You need to be aware of the overall, outer shape of the area and the inner shapes which you need to outline which make up this area.



Fragmented Santa!  The continuous line around his body has been broken up.

Make sure your inner lines do not breach your outer line at all.  Keep them at least 1-2mm away from the edge of the shape.  If you take them right to the edge, you will fragment your linocut into little bits, and you will lose the sense and structure of what you are trying to illustrate. Look at Santa above - I've extended all the internal lines and broken through his outline. This has separated the different parts of his body and they now appear to be floating about!

Like to see some Christmas Art Prints for sale?  Have a look at:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/113758489/mice-decorating-christmas-tree
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169879100/christmas-mouse-art-archival-digital?ref=shop_home_feat
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169890653/christmas-bear-art-archival-digital?ref=shop_home_feat

The Continuous Line Technique

I  have a rule that all my lines be continuous in order to preserve the integrity of the subject matter. Where they join other lines, I am careful to keep all the lines intact. So for example, you can see in the linocut and print of the Burmese cat below, all the lines are continous.

One continuous cut all the way round the cat.

At the tail, for example, none of the lines which meet are cut -
the tail is very much connected to the body.

This technique helps to make different parts of a design stand out.  Take my Christmas card design of mice decorating a tree.

Christmas tree mice

If you take a closer look, you will see that each of the mice are defined by a continuous line, so that they stand out from the background of the tree and the snowflakes.

Each mouse is defined by a continuous line all the way round.

Like these prints?  Have a look at:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/113758489/mice-decorating-christmas-tree?ref=listing-shop-header-0

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/80579934/burmese-cat-art-handmade-linocut-print?ref=shop_home_active