Linocut

The linocut is a graphical technique that works at high pressure and in principle similar to the woodcut. As in the woodcut, a negative pattern is therefore also cut into the normally relatively resistant linoleum in a linoleum plate with a special tool. The material can be easily cut in any direction. The finished negative pattern is lapped with ink and then printed on paper. The adhering to the raised areas of ink is transferred onto the paper. As the woodcut he was also appreciated by Expressionist artists. Maurice de Vlaminck, Christian Rohlfs, Henri Matisse, MC Escher and Pablo Picasso have worked with linocut.

Features of lino

The linocut shows clear surfaces and smooth contours. Both white line cut surface interface as well as black-line interface are possible. When he shows speckled staining of thin structures due to the sometimes porous material. Colour linocut When the trigger often has thick, leathery stiff acting and sometimes gritty structures: Such sheets may not be rolled because the color surfaces lying on the paper may break. Before modern compositional techniques enabled the automatic design of large-scale lettering, he was sometimes also used by typesetters for the design of advertisements and print posters.

Required tools and materials

For the linocut you need a screw holder with different cutting blades, a contour meter, a Geißfuß, one Flachau Heber, a gouge, a printing press, linoleum, paint, paint roller and paper.

Cutting technique

The Linolplatte should be placed on a cutting board. As tools are carving, gouge and Geißfuß (U - and V-shaped blades) in various strengths. The linoleum easier to cut when it gets a little heated. Even lighter and fine line that residues of PVC flooring cut. The edges of the left standing surface must not be undermined. They would otherwise yield when printing or even break. To avoid injury, the holding hand while cutting out always behind the cutting tool must be located. There will always be cut away from the body.

Printing Techniques

The printing ink, there are special water- based paints (Japan Aqua ) on sale in stores. With a rubber roller (such as a glass plate ), the ink is distributed and absorbed evenly on a flat first surface. Then the plate is inked, care being taken to a uniform distribution. It is printed on paper that takes on the color well, but also printing on fabric and other absorbent surfaces is possible.

Colour linocut

By overprinting of two or more colors could be created colored linocuts. With transparent inks can be overprinted, intermediate hues by mixing produce ( subtractive color mixing). Over time, various methods have been developed.

• Partial coloring of a single plate with multiple colors
• Perfect fit printing with several different colored panels
• Elimination pressure

Elimination pressure

This is printed with multiple colors and with only one disk. After the printing of one color, the plate is further processed and printed with the next color. At the positions, to each of which the printing surface has been removed, each previous color remains visible.

Among other Pablo Picasso got this technique from his longtime printer Hidalgo Arnera recommended. Since Picasso often worked simultaneously on several pictures, he often had difficulties to cut the different pressure plates for a multicolored graphic accurately. With the elimination technique accounted for this problem.