Linocut printmaking is a type of relief printing where artists carve a design into a soft material called linoleum. The parts that are left raised will hold ink and print onto the paper, while the parts that are carved away will not receive ink and will stay white. These carved-away sections are called negative space. In printmaking, artists have to think carefully about what they remove because once a section is carved away, it cannot be put back.

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For this project, you will design a plant or animal inspired stamp using shapes, lines, textures, and patterns found in nature. You may focus on details like feathers, fur, scales, leaves, vines, flowers, or natural textures to make your design visually interesting. After planning your composition in your sketchbook, you will transfer your drawing onto the linoleum block through a graphite transfer and use carving tools to carefully remove areas that should remain white in the final print.

 

Once the carving is complete, ink will be rolled across the raised surface of the block.