I prefer to ink up my lino blocks in one go, using different sized rollers and sometimes brushes for intricate areas for each separate colour. With this technique I am able to superimpose colours which can result in some lovely subtle and sometimes unpredictable effects as the inks become blended together or are left as distinct ‘veils’ of colour. I like the more subtle painterly effects produced by this technique. The finished linocut prints have a quality of freshness and vitality characterised by bold stylised images combining areas of flat colour with subtly layered inks to give tonality, depth and richness.
Sometimes a subject may be suited to the traditional reduction method of linoprinting which produces a more hard-edged quality in the final image (see ‘Streamlines’). Here, each colour is printed separately, usually starting with the lightest; after each colour printing, that area of the block is cut away, until by the time the final colour is printed, there remains very little of the original cut-out design. Each time, the print has to be registered accurately to avoid overlaps.
I like to use linseed oil based relief printing inks which have great depth and luminosity of colour. For paper, I experiment with different types. I especially like some of the fine Japanese papers and find Imitation Japanese Vellum a superb all-round support for linocut prints. But I also like to use some of the khadi and mulberry papers from India and the Far East; the textured surfaces and fine fibres running through many of these can enliven the appearance of the final print and introduce interesting highlights. For most of my printing I use a small table-top relief printing press, although for larger work I sometimes use a Britannia press. I like to hand burnish my prints to give greater depth of tone where appropriate.
Finally each print is signed, titled and given an edition number indicating its sequence in the edition.
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