4 Ways to Transfer an Image to a Linoleum Block 

Thank YOU so much! Happy Printing!

Thank you! There are even more transfer methods for xerox and laser toner prints using acetone, lacquer thinner, or wintergreen oil, but alas, they are unhealthy for indoor use.

Absolutely! Same with lacquer thinner and Wintergreen Oil for xerox/laser prints. Best used with freshly printed laser prints/photocopies. For anyone reading, always review MSDS sheets before using chemicals and be sure to wear gloves, work outdoors or with something like a local exhaust ventilation fan as acetone absorbed through the skin or too many fumes breathed in can cause irritation, allergic reactions, or worse. I originally made this video for my students, so I was showing how to do it with what they might have that wasn't toxic, but some have acetone nail polish remover, I'm sure, which could work!

My cat is doing just fine now, although my cat in my Trace Monotype video passed on last summer. Still teaching and making some work, haven't made a public video for a while, but hope to make some this summer. Thanks for watching and happy printing!

I’m glad it was helpful for you- Happy printing!

Hi Sara Tea. The linoleum I used in this video was unmounted battleship linoleum. I'm based in the U.S. and I either got it from Dick Blick, Renaissance Graphics, Plaza Art Supplies or Jerry's Artarama (sorry I don't remember!) although I've gotten dented lino and paper from Jerry's, so I stopped getting printmaking supplies that can be dented from them. Most stores don't list a brand name, but Red Baron has been recommended to me. I've also used Speedball speedy carve and the knock-off version of that from Amazon, as well as Moo Carve, but sometimes with the knock-off speedy carve and moo carve the graphite transfer doesn't work on those as well and carved marks end up being a little too soft for my preference. I think the only additional advice is to try to get the freshest battleship grey linoleum you can, so I try to order form suppliers I know are selling a lot of it, as they usually have to order the freshest stuff, rather than from a place where it's been on a shelf, gathering dust for over a year. I've used really old lino and still been able to carve it, but usually it is so hard or crumbles when cutting that I heat it up gently on the lowest setting on a hot plate, griddle, or baking pan on the absolute lowest heat on a stove top, or use a hair dryer for smaller blocks, to make it easier to cut. The downside using heat, in turn, makes the lino more brittle once it cools again, and more crumbly if carving back into it. Hope this is helpful and happy printing!

Hi! Thank you for this question! The answer is, it depends on the technique you choose. Ultimately, the image that is on the block is going to be reflected in the final print. So if you have text that you want to be right-reading in the final print, you want it to be reflected, or backwards, on the block. In hindsight, I should have used an example with text. For me, I didn't care direction my cat ended up in the final print, but one should consider the reflection in advance.

@@Chcole88 thank you. very helpful video

Hi @ksea6565. Sometimes chemicals if handled with the right ventilation and personal protection is a lot more efficient at doing the job. So if that’s not the right option for you, you can certainly use carbon paper. I find carbon paper transfers have a tendency to wipe or wear away, and on some brands of linoleum it doesn’t even stick, usually it does stick to battleship grey lino but there’s not a lot of visual contrast with grey. So if someone wanted to do an intricate design or a reductive relief print that requires inking the block and returning to it to continue to carve, the ink or what you use to clean the ink off can remove the carbon.

@MisterNiles Haha, very funny, sir, thank you for the helpful link on video editing. I don’t know if you read the description or noted when this video was made, but it was created for my students in my classes during the start of the pandemic when I had never made videos ever before and got zero to little support from my university and had to figure out teaching art classes online on the fly. I’m the first to admit these aren’t fabulous videos, but I did the best I could at the time and I’ve improved slightly- but it takes forever to edit and I’d rather be making prints! 😆 And I don’t get paid enough to hire editing out. So I know, the video quality is mediocre at best, but it’s all I could do at the time. I’ve only made 1/4 of my videos Public since most are class project-specific. I figured the ones I’ve made public can help others looking to learn and there’s a lot of other videos by others out there, so I hope you find one helpful or entertaining for you!

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