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Printing is so much fun, I get excited every time I peal off the paper to reveal the print. In this article I will share my experience doing lino printing with my children. It's not the easiest of art activities and takes a little practice. You need to learn how to use the lino cutting tools carefully and correctly. I have spent time showing my children how to use the tools mindfully and where to position their hands to reduce the risk of injury. The carving tools are sharp and have a tendency to slip which can result in a nasty cut if your hands are positioned in the wrong place or you are cutting towards your body. My children are 7 and 11 and have been around tools and craft equipment since they were little. I have a very clear understanding of their abilities to use different equipment. You know your children best, so you can make the call if this activity feels safe for you.
I will share an easy, safe version of lino printing, that you can create with Stryofoam, at the end of this article, which is great for younger children.
MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT:
- Lino - I recommend trying easy-carve rubber printing blocks instead of traditional lino. It makes a great print and is so much easier to cut reducing the risk of injury.
- Brayer (a roller)
- Lino cut tools
- A flat surface like a tile or acrylic sheet to roll out your ink on
-
Acrylic block printing inks
- Paper - thick cartridge paper works well
- Baren (optional - a spoon or your hand will work OK unless you have a fancy printing press, then you can use that instead!)
- Hand guard
- Pencil or ball point pen
HOW TO:
Sketch your design onto the lino using a pencil or ball point pen.
Begin to carefully carve your printing block with the lino cut tools. Remember, it's the lino that is left that creates the artwork, anywhere you cut out will appear white on your print. For safety, position your lino on a table where it won't slip. Always cut away from your body and position your other hand to the side or behind the cutting tool, that way if the tool slips, you won't stab it into your hand or body. You can use a corner shaped hand guard to protect your hand if necessary.
Once you have finished carving, gently brush off your lino to make sure it is free of any small pieces. In the image below, the white printing block is easy carve rubber and the grey is traditional lino.
Now it's time to ink your lino block. Place a small amount of acrylic printing ink onto your flat surface; a tile or an acrylic sheet works well. Using a brayer (the fancy word for a roller), role the ink until you have a thin layer all over your brayer. Too much ink and the ink will get into the depressions on your printing block and cause a messy print, too little and your print will be patchy. With a little experimenting and experience, you will be able to judge the correct amount of ink to use.
Carefully roller the ink onto the lino block making sure you cover all the areas evenly. Be careful not to get lots of ink all over the table, otherwise you will get inky smudges on your paper.
Carefully lay the paper on top of the inked printing block. If you want to get your print accurately in the centre of your paper, you can make an L shaped gig from cardboard to help you line up the paper.
Press firmly onto the paper using either the palm of your hand, a baren or the back of a spoon. Make sure you press hard all over the printing block, otherwise your print will be patchy.
Now comes the best bit, carefully peel the paper off the lino block to reveal your print. To make more prints, just add more ink to your lino block and repeat the process.
STYROFOAM PRINTS with younger kids:
If you have younger children or don't have access to lino printing equipment, you can create fun and easy lino-type prints using styrofoam sheets. You can find these from craft supply stores or occasionally as a material used in food packaging.
MATERIALS:
- Styrofoam sheets - Sometimes used for food packaging or you can buy sheets specifically for printing from art supply stores
- Acrylic block printing inks
- Blunt pencil or ball point pen
- Cartridge paper
- Craft knife (optional)
- A flat surface to use as an inking block like a tile or acrylic sheet
HOW TO:
Cut the Styrofoam sheet to the desired size to make your printing block, our sheet was A5. Create indentations into the Styrofoam using a blunt pencil or ball point pen. The indentations you make will come out white on your print.
Add ink to the inking block and spread to get an even coating on your roller. Then use the roller to apply ink all over the Styrofoam printing block.
Carefully place the paper on top of the printing block and rub firmly using your palm. Peal the paper off to reveal the print. Roller on more ink and repeat the process, you can make lots of prints from one printing block.
After finishing, you can wash the ink off and store the printing blocks for another day.
MORE PRINTING FUN?
If you are looking for more fun printing activities to do with children, you can find 2 articles on my Creative Spaces Substack. The first article includes mono printing and styrofoam printing techniques. The second article is all about Gelli prints and foam block prints.
Happy art making friends!
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