Today, I've been carving a linocut lovebird design to go on the front of the album. I thought I'd share some of the process with you to show the different stages involved in making one of my books, and also some of the difficulties encountered when printing!
Stage 1: Cut the pages, sew the book block and attach the end papers. I found a zingy yellow linen thread that will go beautifully with my covers, it's just a shame that most of the stitching will be hidden..
Stage 2: After working out and cutting my linocut design, it's time to print it!
I take initial test prints on scrap paper:
I then re-cut the lino block with some final tweaks before printing onto the 'proper' final paper:
My designs are quite detailed and delicate, so they come out best when I apply lots of thin layers of ink to the block. But sometimes the print looks too pale if I've not rolled enough ink onto the block. You might like this effect, but I prefer a strong bold print. Sometime, I will try to rectify this by re-printing the block, but as you can see above, you can end up with a double image which looks a bit blurred.
Printing a block well takes time to get enough ink on the block and the right pressure from your press. But with some perseverance, you finally get the elusive print you were looking for. Hooray!
Here's a shot of the final book, all glued together and ready to go between boards for a final press.
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