Linocut is a variant of woodcut, in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A pattern is carved into the linoleum, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reflection of the design to be printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.

As the material being carved has no particular direction to its grain and does not tend to split, it is easier to obtain certain artistic effects than with most woods, although the resultant prints lack the wood character of wood block printing. Linoleum is also much easier to cut than wood, but the pressure of the printing process degrades the plate faster. It is also difficult to create larger works due to the material's fragility.

Due to ease of use, linocut is widely used at schools to introduce children to the art of printing; similarly, non-professional artists tend to use linocut rather than woodcut. But it was and is also widely used by professional artists, for similar reasons.

Selected Artists

• Georg Baselitz, German artist
• Irving Amen, American artist
• Angel Botello, Spanish-Puerto Rican artist
• Ken Sprague, english artist and activist
• Sybil Andrews Canadian artist
• Napier Waller Australian artist
• Eric Thake Australian artist
• Folly Cove Designers American design collective
• Carlos Cortez American poet and artist
• Walter Inglis Anderson American artist

See also

• Gyotaku
• Print making
• Block printing
• Through and through
• Rubber stamp

Further reading

• Rice, William S., Block Prints: How to Make Them, Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company, 1941.
• Draffin, Nicholas, Australian Woodcuts and Linocuts of the 1920s and 1930s, South Melbourne: Sun Books, 1976.

Printmaking | Printing

Linolschnitt | Linoollõige | Linosnede | Linoleumssnitt | Linoryt | Линогравюра