Linocut Printmaking Refresher Class

What to do on a rainy weekend? Well I took a class on linocut printmaking! Thanks to Blick Art Materials in Royal Oak, Michigan for the demo and refresher class in the store. Our teacher Kyla had some expert tips on tools, cutting and applying the ink. I worked on a idea for a holiday card and completed a rough version of what I want to do for Christmas. The art of printmaking is something I have always admired.

Here's a quick pic of me at the work table in the art store spreading the green ink flat and even so I can apply it with the roller to the linocut plate. I love the tactile quality of carving the plate and envisioning the artwork in reverse or mirror image in my mind. It's a thousands of years old craft- I love to look at old books filled with print illustrations. My main interest lately has been the folk printmaking of early Latvian folk artists. The Baltic region was home to many artists who made book illustrations that speak of the rich culture and traditions in the region. Favorite subjects like mushrooms, hedgehogs, sleighs on snow, birch trees and people folk dancing in traditional costumes are always seen in Latvian storybooks. #linocut #blickartmaterials