My first linocut

This week I took a class on relief printing on the Vandercook press, and I got to do my first linocut! Honestly I took the class more for the linocut than the Vandercook, which I had used once before with letterpress. The class was led by Icarus Key and held at The Soapbox, which is a true community gem. I really vibe with the type of people who are into print!

I didn’t have a design in mind when I walked in, but I quickly found one that I had drawn before - an autorickshaw or tuktuk.

I really enjoyed the process of translating an image to the lino - trying to work out what kinds of marks I should use to indicate depth. I didn’t get it ‘right’ but I don’t care for my first go. The actual carving of the lino was so satisfying, that is what might get me hooked onto this!

I was able to make 11 prints. I’ve left some plain and for others I’ve added some marker. I’m keeping one and leaving the others in the local neighborhood library.