Anatomy of a Print

People sometimes ask about how I make my prints, so I took photos of the steps of carving a simple story illustration onto a 6″x9″ mounted linoleum block. I mostly did the sketch and xfer on paper, rather than on the block itself, to show my process.
Once I had an idea to sketch, the whole project took about 90 minutes (I was watching a movie while carving, so rather slow).

Anatomy of a Print 1

Top: Rough Sketch, Sketch half-transferred onto block
Bottom: Markings on block after xfer, Fleshed out pencil sketch on block

Anatomy of a Print 2

Top: sharpied outline, Outlines cut into block
Bottom: Partially carved and inked, fully inked and mostly carved

Anatomy of a Print 3

Top: The Finished block (I carved out too much from the coffee pot, but there’s nothing you can do once the material is cut away), Ink rolled onto the block for printing
Bottom: Printing the relief (sometimes I use a wooden spoon, or even the side of my fist or my fingers for delicate details and lighter shades, but here I use one style of baren), the final print