Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Printmaking
What it really costs, what you really need, and how to know if this is your hobby before you spend a dime
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Is Printmaking and Why People Love It
Let me paint you a picture that has nothing to do with a pristine art studio. It's a Tuesday evening, maybe 7:30. You've cleared the kitchen table, or maybe a corner of your desk, and you've laid down some newspaper because you learned the hard way that ink finds its way onto everything within a three-foot radius. You pull out a small block of linoleum — about the size of a postcard — and a set of carving tools that look vaguely like dental instruments with wooden handles. You've sketched a simple design on the block, maybe a leaf or a fish or a geometric pattern, and now you're carefully cutting away the areas you don't want to print.
This is the part that surprises most people. Printmaking is not fast, and it is not passive. There's no screen to stare at, no autosave, no undo button. Carving a small block can take you an hour, or two, or an evening. You're leaning over the block, breathing slowly, pressing the V-shaped gouge into the linoleum and pushing it along the line you've drawn. The tool catches, and you carve away a thin curl of material. It's oddly satisfying — the resistance, the control, the way the block gradually transforms from a flat surface into something with depth and intention.
At its core, printmaking is the process of creating an image on one surface — a block of linoleum, a piece