All techniques like black- or white line-print, multicolour print, letters, postcards, pictures or individual presents are easy torealize and have an amazing handmade touch. Try it out!
You will need:
- a sharp pen
- Transparent paper
- Pictures or letters for ideas (photos, types, drawings)
- Printblock made of soft gum (e.g. Printblock from Factis)
- Lino cutting knifes in different sizes
- Schmincke aqua LINOPRINT colours of your choice
- Plate made of glass
- Print roll
- Even, stable paper or photo carton (white or coloured)
Step 1: The motive and its pre-drawing
First you have to sketch a pre-drawing with your pen on transparent paper (and not directly on the printblock!). Decide whether you'd like to create a blackline-print (cut out, without background) or a whiteline-print (print of cut lines).
Step 2: The transfer onto the printblock
Put your pre-drawing upside down on the printblock and transfer it by rubbing onto the printblock. Check out whether the drawing has been transfered completely on the surface of the printblock. Attention: The drawing now appears mirror inverted! When printing the picture or the letters, they will turn into right (important for letters!)
Step 3: Two creative options
A - The blackline-print
You have to remove the whole background and the drawing/letters and so on should be cut out. Attention: Linoprint is arelief painting, that means only the remaining parts will beprinted. The drawing or the letters must be cut out completely with the cutting knife. This is easily made using the soft printingblocks; also fine details, round objects or bigger parts can be cut without difficulties.
B - The whiteline-print
You only cut out the lines of the drawing so that only the background will be printed and the lines will stay free.
Step 4:
The colour application by a print roll and aqua LINOPRINT colours
After the drawing is completely cut out, you have to roll out a small amount of Schmincke aqua LINOPRINT colour onto the glass plate. The print roll must be covered with a thin, even colour layer. Now you apply the colour by rolling onto the gumplate/ the "stamp". The application has to be thin; if you use too much colour, fine lines could get lost and the print could become "muddy".
Step 5: Printing
It is recommendable that the first print is a test-print on "testpaper". Now you can see possible faults/ remaining disturbing details which can be removed before printing again.
Step 6: Result
For a clean printing result you have to apply "fresh" colour for every new print. Never mind if some smaller irregularities appear in the result - this is part of the handmade charm. When the print is good, we recommend to immediately print a small series.
Alternatives in design:
1. Printing with two (or more) colours:
For this technique you better use two (or more) printing rolls to apply the different colous. If you are going to print a series, an interim cleaning is not recommendable.
Now you can apply two or more colours on one stamp or you can use different stamps in different colours and combine them to a multicolour design.
2. Printing with changing colours
For this technique you shall use two or more colours on one glass plate which should be mixed slightly (not completely!) with the roll. The colour changes are spontaneous and the results are amazing.
3. Printing on coloured surfaces/ sketchingbooks or paper bags
This is another creative option as you can print also on even, coloured papers/ cardboard/ paper bags, envelopes and so on. When choosing the colour, pay attention on a nice contrast/ combination of colours.
For special glossy or glazing effects you can use some special mediums, for example the Schmincke LINO-Pearl (50900), LINO-Gloss (50901) or LINO-Glaze (50902). These mediums can be mixed with aqua LINOPRINT colours or can be printed purely with a print roll onto your prints.
The Schmincke aqua LINOPRINT colours are ideal for printing. They have a pleasant smell, a perfect consistency, create even, sharp, brilliant prints, dry fast and can be cleaned easily. All 15 normal as well as all 3 effect colours (gold, silver,copper) can be used purely or can be intermixed for brilliant results.
