The sketch, the plan, and the design drawn onto the lino
This photo captures the typical process I follow when designing a landscape linocut print.
- When I am on location I sketch out a scene that interests me using ink and watercolour.
- Back in the studio I transfer the dominant lines onto tracing paper (this makes the scene easily reversible).
- I then transfer these dominant lines onto the lino in mirror image, and start to add in shadows and other details. I don’t like to overplan the drawing on the lino at this stage or make it too detailed. I like to leave space for creativity as I carve. Carving is such an absorbing and tactile part of the process that I often diverge from the original plan as I start to ‘feel’ the image and see new possibilities.
The next step for this piece of lino will be to apply a light ink wash over the whole piece. This helps to make the carved areas stand out more clearly as I work.
As you can see designing a print takes several steps, with a lot of room for creativity and exploration throughout the process. As a result my prints are never photographic reproductions of a place but instead they capture a moment in time or the sense of a place
You can see some of my finished landscape linocut prints that I designed using this process in my online gallery.