Lineloum block Printing

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 84, Issue 4, 15 April 1952, Page 345

Lineloum block Printing

ORIGINALLY wooden blocks were used for printing, but linoleum is much easier to cut and handle. The finest lines and clearest-cut designs can still be produced with a wooden block, but linoleum is a better material for the beginner to use. It can be the ordinary household variety; a piece left over from the kitchen flooring would do, but ideally it should be of good quality, smooth surfaced, at least Jin. thick, and preferably in one colour without a pattern so that a design can easily be marked on it. Any wax on the linoleum should be removed with a scouring powder. If

the dimensions required are marked on the back and a cut made through the canvas and just into the linoleum, it will snap along the cut line and come apart cleanly. The process consists of drawing a design on paper and transferring it to the linoleum block, which is gouged away so that the lines and masses which are to be printed stand out in relief. The block is then inked and applied to the material to be printed. Tools for this work can be bought as a printing set, but expense can be saved by improvising many of them from pieces of household equipment.

Choosing a Design Almost any subject can be printed from a linoleum block, abstract designs and motives being especially suitable. The beginner would be wise to attempt simple line drawings and silhouettes at first. The design, after being planned and inked, is traced on to fine tracing paper, which is pinned on to the linoleum face downward to , reverse the design—particularly important if the design includes lettering. A piece of carbon paper is placed shiny side down between tracing and linoleum, and the lines are drawn over with a sharp, hard pencil. The tracing on the linoleum is checked with the original design and any discrepancies are drawn in. Inking in the portions of the linoleum that are not to be removed helps to avoid mistakes in cutting and gives the worker an idea of the effect that will be obtained in the print. Equipment Required The five tools for cutting the linoleum are all designed for different kinds of workthe large V for cutting outlines, the small V for cutting fine lines, the large U for gouging out large areas, and the small U for cleaning out areas and tidying lines. A sharp knife is needed for straight cuts.

This set of tools can be improvised with little trouble. Razor blades, penknives, chisels, and paring knives are all useful. Old pen nibs and the ribs of discarded umbrellas make excellent gouges. The ribs, which are in two sizes on each umbrella, may be filed off and sharpened into U or V shapes; if possible, they should be sharpened to the shape of the cutter with a whetstone and fitted into a handle of wooden dowelling. All the tools used for cutting the linoleum must be kept well sharpened so that the lines cut are of uniform depth and’ have clean edges. Blunt tools are difficult to control and often slip in the hand, ruining the cut. ' Cutting the Design The tool is held in the palm of the hand with the first finger near the cutting edge to steady and guide it when gouging out deep cuts and large areas. For cutting fine lines the tool is held like a pencil. Cutting away from the body gives best control of the tools, but the linoleum must be firmly held in position. Two blocks of wood nailed at right angles to a third and larger piece will hold it in position. The many different treatments of a linoleum-block design are variations in the type of cut-out. Silhouette: The design is left solid to print and the background cut away. All-over pattern: The subject is cut away and the design appears white on a solid background.

White-line drawing: The subject is cut out in fine lines, making a fine drawing on a dark background. Black-line drawing: Cutting away everything except the outline of the subject produces a line drawing on a white background. A design can be varied by different treatments of the dark portions. Cutting fine lines or gouging small dots on to the solid surface varies the texture. First step in cutting the block is to outline the design with the large Vshaped tool. Small areas around the lines are cut away with the small Ushaped gouge, then the big areas that are left are gouged out with the large U-shaped tool. The small V-shaped tool is used only for the finest lines. The linoleum should be removed to a little more than half its depth. The block is weakened if the linoleum is cut away to the burlap backing. At this stage taking a proof off the block (a process described in the next section) .enables corrections to be made. Sometimes lines need gouging more deeply and edges straightening. When the cut has been corrected and improved the linoleum can be glued firmly to a wooden block of the same size with carpenters’ glue or linoleum glue. When the glue has been left to dry for at least 24 hours overlapping edges of linoleum are trimmed off with a sharp knife or chisel. The Printing Process The block is coated with ink, which adheres only to the pieces that are left uncut. The printing paper is placed on the block and pressure is exerted on ; it so that an ink impression of the design remains on the

paper when it is lifted. The block can then be inked again and the process repeated. The ink can be either printers’ ink, which is soluble in kerosene, or watersoluble linoleum ink; both are available in a variety of colours. The ink is applied to the block by a roller (included in most block-printing sets), or a dabber can be made from a stocking darner padded with cottonwool and covered with chamois or suede leather. Applying the ink with a paint brush gives an attractive lined effect, and a stippled effect is achieved when it is applied with a sponge. The ink is spread out on a glass or metal slab, thinned if necessary, and spread with a spatula and then with the roller; only enough ink is used to give the slab an even coating. The roller should be run up and down and across the slide and then up and down and across the linoleum block to ensure even distribution of ink. The printing paper must be placed on the block in exactly the right place. At this stage there are several ways of taking the print off. One is to place a wooden slab on top of the printing paper and hammer it evenly all over before removing slab and paper carefully. Another method is to cover the printing paper with two or three layers of thick cardboard and roll the surface with a rolling pin. If the linoleum has not been mounted on a wooden block, prints can be taken by putting it through a clothes wringer. The tension is first loosened to allow both linoleum and paper to. pass through it easily. This is a good way of taking off a proof of the cut, and it is a satisfactory method of printing many copies if care is taken. After being printed the paper should be spread out until the ink is dry. Colour Printing To print in more than one colour a separate block is needed for each colour. The design must be traced accurately on to the same number of blocks as there are colours in the design. The design must be fairly simple with the regions of colour well defined. With the original at hand, all the portions of the design that are one colour are inked in on the first block and the background cut away as before. The process is repeated for each colour, the blocks all being made exactly the same size so that the designs do not overlap in the printing.

The printing paper should be secured so that it cannot slip and the position at which the blocks are laid down should be marked. Each block is rolled with coloured ink as for onecolour printing. Starting with the lightest, each colour is printed on the paper and allowed to dry before the next colour is applied until the complete picture is built up. Three colours, such as yellow, red, and black, are printed in that order so that any overlapping shows as little as possible. Additional effects can be achieved by reversing this order, but these techniques are mostly acquired with practice and by experiment. Yellow on top of red, for instance, can achieve a gold-like glint. Each colour must be dried thoroughly before the next can be printed, so the best technique after the initial experiment is to print as many as possible of one colour at a time. Uses for Linoleum Blocks Apart from the interest that linoleum-block printing provides as a creative art, this craft has many uses in the household. For example, it enables the printing of individual Christmas cards. Calendars and bookmarks are attractive and personal presents when they have been printed by the giver. A book - plate may be cut in linoleum, mounted on a block, and kept to stamp in all books; if organising the printing outfit every time a book needs its owner’s signature is too much trouble, a large number may be printed at one time and stuck into books as they are required. An attractive frieze for a child’s room can be made by printing simple animal cut-outs on to a plain wallpaper. Small place cards for a children’s party can be made attractive if they are decorated with brightly coloured linoleum-block prints. Many other ideas will come to mind as skill in this craft increases.

The Week Before Arrange for the crockery and equipment that is to be borrowed or hired. Arrange transport for all the goods to the hall. Make out a shopping list after planning the menu and listing the quantities required. Buy such things as toothpicks, paper serviettes, decorations, and prizes if needed for the entertainment. Set aside the preserved fruit for the fruit salad. Iron table linen. Set aside wood and paper for the fire or copper in the hall if required. List and if possible pack into a box such things as tea, vases, dishcloths, soap,, teatowels, two jugs, prizes for competitions, muslin bags for holding tea leaves, and trays for serving the tea or coffee. " - On the day of the party dance such items as milk, extra oven slides, flowers, and all the food will be packed for transport to the. hall. : Three Days Before Make the cheese straws, sponge lilies and angels, savoury puff cases, and jam tarts. This baking may be stored in air-tight tins until the day of the party dance. Two Days Before Kill and clean 8 fowls. .

Menu for a Buffet Supper Chicken in lettuce: I fowl per Fruit salad: 4 fl. oz. per guest. 10 guests; or Trifle: lib. o trifle sponge per Crayfish in lettuce: 3lb. of 15 guests. crayfish in the shell per 10 Jellies, savoury or sweet: I guests. pint per 20 guests. Jelly Sandwiches: per guest. serves more as a decoration Savoury eggs: I egg per 4 to h , e table than as an item guests. 33 33 r . or) +he menu guests. Hot savouries: n per guest. Tea ; lib. of tea and 1 9 allon Hot savouries: 2 per quest. r . i 3 ot milk per 100 guests; or Other savouries: 2 ? per guest. Coffee; j|b . of coffee Small cakes: I per guest. 4 ga || ons o f milk per 100 Sponges: I per 20 guests. guests.

Working Plan of Preparations for a Party Dance for 80 Guests

One Day Before . Mix the fruit salad, except for the bananas. Prepare the trifles, except for the whipped cream. Cook the fowls. ■■ Prepare the sandwich and savoury fillings. Set the jellies. Prepare the mayonnaise and coffee essence. Mix and roll the pastry ready for baking. ■ Make the butterfly cakes and 4 sponges. The Day of the Party Dance Cut the flowers in the early morning and arrange the flowers and decorations. Make the sausage rolls, small pies, and pastry cases. Boil 20 eggs and prepare the savoury eggs. Prepare the hors d'oeuvres and place them on oranges or other fruits. Unmould the jellies. Make the sandwiches and asparagus rolls. Wash the lettuce. Cut the fowls or crayfish into pieces and place them in lettuce leaves. Prepare the garnishes. A Few Hours Before Put whipped cream on and decorate the trifles and sponges. Put whipped cream in the small cakes. Slice the bananas into the fruit salad. Place all the crockery and cutlery tor serving. Place all the food, with the possible exception of the hot savouries, on plates for serving. , Begin heating the water for tea or the milk for coffee.

Quantities of Food for 80 Guests Fowls: 8 of average size; or Eggs: 20 for savoury eggs. Crayfish: 8, each 3lb. in the Milk: 2 quarts for custards. s^e "- Cream: 2 quarts for whipping. Lettuces: 12 of medium size. fruit: | 0 30oz. tins of fruit or Bread: I £ 4lb. sandwich loaves. the equivalent and 2 small Butter: bottles of passion fruit pulp; c • io j , ' 3lb. of bananas may be subSavour.es: 13 dozen pastry s+i+u+ed fop , fin . savouries, and 16 dozen other savouries. Tea: I lb. of tea and 3 quarts Cakes: 7 dozen small cakes, 4 milk, ot sponges, and 6lb. of trifle Coffee: lb. of coffee and 3 sponge. gallons of milk.