One evening a few weeks ago, I was doing some late night lettering and came up with this sketch (pictured above). It was quite spontaneous, but I was really pleased with the overall effect.
I decided to take this design and try my hand at a lino cut print. This method – essentially carving your own rubber stamp – involves using a small, sharp cutting edge, and meticulously remove all areas of the lino tile where you do not want ink to touch.
I really wanted to capture a raw, "sketched" quality, so I took special care with each cut to echo existing shapes. Below are a few shots of the cutting process:
My dear friend Tanya at snap+tumble offered to let me try out my lino on one of her amazing presses. As it turned out, we couldn't lock the tile securely in any press, so we went with the conventional method. The gold ink (generously donated by Tanya!) was applied onto the brayer (roller), rolled onto the lino tile, and then the black stock was hand-registered using tape marks. Below are some beautiful behind-the-scenes shots from the studio, taken by Tanya Roberts:
And, editioned:
I am so incredibly happy with the results of this piece that I will certainly be creating more lino cut pieces in the future. Thanks again to Tanya for making this piece come to life!
If you like the print, please purchase your own limited edition copy in my shop! More photos from the original launch here.
Have a great weekend!
