Any Interest or Information on Linocuts?

Creative Arts
#1

No. 1 - Is there a group in Creative Arts doing linoleum cuts? If not, does anyone have any interest in this art form? I’m suddenly developing an obsessive interest in this.

No. 2 - If anyone has any experience in this, I’d like to ask if there were any good recommendations on a commercial grade (read inexpensive) flooring that will work well as a substitute for the expensive and small linoleum blocks you’d get at an art store? I’m trying to find something that is relatively easy to cut, but is larger than the pre-cut blocks.

Let me know if you have any thoughts on this. Thanks.

#2

I’ve been making stamps with the Shapeoko 2 on 9 x 12 unmounted speedball (natural, the tan color) that I picked up for about $6 a sheet. I’m pretty much obsessed. My next plan is to adapt a landscape photo in to vector lines that can be carved by the machine.

There’s some lino and soft carve plus a dozen brayers and a jar of black print ink in a bin in CA. I’m there a lot. Let me know if you want directions to the stash.

2 Likes
#3

Met someone named Terry tonight that wanted to look into this as well. Sorry I left without finding you, but I hit a slump and headed home.

If you have a specific project in mind just let me know. I’m as happy learning on your ideas as I am on my own.

#4

I figured you got finished with something and had to leave. No problem, I’ll be around, probably Sunday 4/2.

Yes, I’m wanting to do something with linocuts, rubber stamps, or woodcuts to make ink prints. I’ve got a couple of images ready for the laser and have had the laser class, but keep missing the Shapeoko class. I’ll show you what I have when we have a chance.

#5

I plan to be there Sunday at 3 for the infrastructure meeting. Looking forward to seeing what you have!

I’ve found but not ordered some no odor rubber to use with the laser. Maybe we can split the cost of shipping if you want a sheet, too.

http://www.johnsonplastics.com/premium-no-odor-laser-rubber

I have extra Lino.

@Photomancer did you ever use the laser with the scrap you took?

#6

GREAT! That was one of my big questions! What kind of plastic or lino could we use?

#7

Awesome! Thanks for looking into this. I dont have any plans to go back up to the 'space anytime soon, but if I do, I’ll try to schedule a time to meet you.

#8

Dick blick sells boxes of linoleum off cuts by the 5lb box. it’s honestly a very good buy somewhere around $50 now (used to be like $20) and is a sizable box with big pieces. I buy them for experiments with my kiddos. It’s unmounted. I usually buy a box every two years and break it out to show tool usage depth experiments and all that jazz. And use the unmounted for regular assignments.

I realize you guys don’t need to scrape dimes for this but I just wanted to offer this idea up if you wanted to get crazy and free without worrying about “precious linoleum” I’ve used several types of linoleum over the years but being locked into a budget I’ve never really been able to buy the good stuff in the quantities we use in a high school setting. Never used actual tiles although I’ve heard war stories of using clothing irons to loosen it up. Ezcut was about as exciting as it ever got (and my preferred media for kids) we did reductive prints sometimes up to three colors but mostly two usually social consciousness stuff.

When my duties are stripped down Ill sit back and create a class or two for fun. Or possibly we could just sit in a corner and get nerdy over printmaking.

#9

Unmounted is easy. I cut a scrap of wood out of the bin and glue it up. Done.