Tutorial: How to Carve a Linocut

today i'd like to share with you how to carve a linocut, from tools to safety. i hope you find it helpful and if you have any questions, please leave them below and i'll do my best to answer

this tutorial is part of a series, which i share with my patrons. if you'd like to
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tools and materials i use:
pfeil carving tools
large V shape B15/6
small V shape L11/3
medium U shape L12/1
large U shape L8/7

i print all my prints with cranfield safewash relief inks on japanese kozo paper.

[blackoakmushrooms]

quick tip as a yourself a polishing wheel and some compound. That'll keep your tools shaving sharp with a mirror finish and will be remarkably fast. Love your work, I've been getting back to printing lately and I'm loving the process

[thisnorthernhemisphere]

i'm a newbie to linocutting but i've been having so much fun with it! my husband will appreciate the safety tips- he's always so worried about my cut fingers lol

[lfrey-cbzc]

perfect video. A+. Thank you for explaining so thoughtfully. I am an art teacher, and I want to bring this to my students in an intentional, controlled way. This gave me a lot to think about.

[kaleeddy]

The most important lesson I took away from your video is to not let the mistakes ruin your work. 10:08 Half the reason I enjoy linocut are the "flaws" that make it feel handmade.

[brandtwoods]

This was extremely helpful! I've been wanting to try this for a while and this is exactly what I was looking for.

[califragilistic]

Thank you for the lovely tutorial. Your careful commentary was so helpful and generous. Beautiful and inspiring work!

[IrisYoungPrintmaker]

Thanks a lot for sharing the knowledge and experience. It is really difficult to find linocut classes in my city 😂

[Grannny_Weatherwax]

Thank you so much, you gave such helpful information. I will be buying my supplies this week to start lino printing and i am so excited. I have wanted to do this for years. I love your videos and you do the MOST amazing work ❤

[draypillbiddit]

You're an incredible teacher. I am a printmaker and just loved this and learned some things I didn't know, especially about the sharpening. Awesome work.

[skmcc]

Thanks for this video, it is an excellent introduction to linocut generally. The best I've come across so far.

[Cchouette]

Hello Emil, I admire your work and your style. For me, you are by far the best Linoleum engraver on YouTube 🏆 If I may, in the description bar of the video, you made a small mistake regarding the Pfeil tool L 11/3 and 15/6 ... the shape is a U and not a V 🤔 Innocuous but very useful question before purchase: Why do you prefer/recommend the L 11/3 instead of the L 11/0.5 ? Same, Why do you prefer/recommend L 8/7 instead of L 8/3 ? Thanks from FRANCE 🇫🇷🙂

[evanoresaintvondrak]

It's such a good introduction to linocut that it's very similar to what I know about woodcut. And your sharpening explanation it's the most simple and direct I ever saw. Thank you for the video!

[jeanbailey]

Excellent video, as always, thank you Emil.

[larahetherington]

hi, thanks so much for this! I am super into Lino at the moment, but was never actually taught how to do it so this is amazing x

[radharcanna]

Thank you Emil. That was an extremely useful tutorial. As with all your videos, this one looks great too.

[katwoman]

I really enjoy your videos thank you for making them, I've just started with linocut again after many years, your videos remind of how calming it can be :)

[Simon-bhhx]

Great tutorial and tips : thank you for sharing your knowledge !

[patricknorton]

Wonderful video. I am fairly experienced with linocut, and I have to say one of the best discoveries I have made is the Slipstrop tool. With it and some fine sandpaper (500 to 2, 000 grit), I am able to not only keep my Pfiell tool (just one, an #12) but also my Flexcut tools sharp. And, after some more rigorous sharpening, I can hone and maintain my Speedball cutters too. I love the profiles of the Speedball tools, but they come from the factory like a butter knife manufacturer tried to make razor blades and never noticed the difference.

The Pfiell tools are really the best, but I only recommend the finer ones. The wider cuts can be covered very well by the Flexcut brand (really very good and significantly less expensive) and wider than that I would recommend the Speedball tools when sharpened properly. The high-quality tools go super shallow angle for the wider cuts, and a slightly deeper cut results in a much wider relieved area and vice versa, like the tide running a hundred meters up a low-angle beach for a few centimeters of increase.

The same goes for an E.C. Lyons tool. The narrow one is basically a narrower wide tool - if I could control the cutting tool that well, I would only need one size (not to mention the ink rolling over into the shallow cut). Wider tools still need steeper shoulders, so that is why I love the wider Speedball tools (once properly sharpened).

[KathyBrooksArt]

Wow, that was a wonderful tutorial. Thank you

[natashaapril]

Thank you so much for sharing this excellent video here. It's greatly appreciated and your work is truly beautiful and inspiring! 👌👏❤