Project 9: Experimental mark making on lino (Part 1 - Tools)

First you will make a test lino block. Place a block of lino against your bench hook or tray and make a series of different marks using your chosen tools. Try to keep the textures in an organised pattern so that you can remember which tool made which mark. 

How did your test plate print? Can you recognise the marks made by the different tools? 
If some of your effects did not print can you identify why?


I gathered together a number of tools from the toolbox and from the kitchen and attacked the Lino with them. I was surprised that some of the tools I had selected (for example a fork and a pizza cutter) were unable to make any mark at all on the Lino - this is an illustration of how sharp the tools have to be to make useful marks. Others that I had thought would not make an impression produced interesting patterns and still others which appeared to mark the lino decisively, didn't  show in the print. I tried making marks both on battleship grey lino and on the soft cut. The soft cut was much more resilient and difficult to mark because it is flexible and rubbery it tends to deform and then spring back into shape unless it is attacked with something very sharp. I used water-based ink for this project for speed and convenience but it would have been a good idea to also try printing with oil-based ink to see if this made a difference to the marks which showed - The oil based ink is stiffer than the water based so it might not flood small marks so readily. 

Marks made on soft cut Lino using a Phillips screwdriver,
hand propelled drill bit and a Dremel

The Phillips screwdriver made surprisingly good star-like marks in the soft cut. The Dremel with a rounded grinding head made precise circular marks but very quickly became clogged with layers of the rubbery material. The light curving linear marks made by the Dremel were perhaps not deep enough and were largely flooded by the ink so didn't give a clear print. A drill bit wielded by hand made some satisfying but not easily controllable marks. 

Marks made on soft cut lino using a cheese grater and a
serrated kitchen knife 

The cheese grater and serrated kitchen knife were not particularly successful on the soft cut. The cheese grater created some texture on the plate but it didn't show very clearly on the print - it is possible it might show if a thinner layer of tackier ink were used. I tried creating a cross hatch pattern using the kitchen knife. The cuts were quite deep but entirely linear without any gap on the surface - these didn't show at all on the print, only the areas where I'd gouged away bits of the surface showed. 

Marks made on soft cut lino using a pocket knife and hammered nails

The pocket knife which I usually use in the garden is quite sharp so I attacked the soft cut with that. This demonstrated to me that the knife is considerably less sharp than the linocutting tools I have. The gouges I created showed but it was very difficult to control the shape of them with this poor-precision instrument. The linear marks I made with this knife didn't show either. The soft cut was too springy for hammering nails - they tend to bounce back and not make a good mark. 

Marks made on grey hessian-backed lino using (clockwise from upper left corner): cheese grater, lemon zester,
garden pocket knife, screws, hammered nails, cake decorating tool, wire cutters and a cork screw. 

 The grater made more of an impression on the grey lino and created some texture although it didn't show very clearly on the print - there was a suggestion of texture but it was too subtle. I liked the linear marks I was able to carve with the zester but it wasn't a very sharp tool and the marks were not very controllable. The pocket knife could be used to create a variety of teardrop or lozenge -shaped marks. The screws, nails and the cake decorating tools created irregular dots of different sizes which could be used for stippling for creating areas of different tonal values. The wire cutters created some nice lines but could only be used at the edge of the plate so they aren't very versatile. 

A wide variety of marks created on grey hessian-backed
Lino using a Dremel with lots of different bits/heads. 

The Dremel was a revelation on the grey lino. I tried a variety of grinding and drilling bits as well as burrs of various shapes and sizes. This enabled me to create a wide variety of different marks. I loved the precise circles that could be made wit the drill bits and the ball grinder. I was able to create fine hatching very quickly (but noisily!) with this tool as well as a variety of curves and directional marks. 

What I learnt:

• Tools must be very sharp to make any mark on the soft cut although a Philips screwdriver makes a surprisingly clear stellate mark
• Grey lino is much easier to work with for this type of exercise
• Finely grained textures which look great on the plate don't always show in the print
• Nails and screws make great irregular dots for stippling
• A Dremel is great for making precise circular dots 
• Hatching with a Dremel is easy and rapid but not particularly restful because it's a very noisy tool. 
• If you are using a drill bit on lino put a thick piece of scrap wood or MDF under it to prevent damage to your table (luckily my work bench is already deeply marked so the additional holes I made with the Dremel are not a problem)

Overall this was a very enjoyable, free and experimental exercise. It demonstrated to me that it is best not to make assumptions about how successful mark-making with a particular tool will be. Also a mark made on the lino may not print in the way that you might expect so it is a good idea to test and proof ideas before committing yourself on a larger scale or using certain marks in a detailed or complex print. 

I have also experimented with mark-making on Lino by etching with caustic soda as well as making marks on other materials - I will create separate log posts for these experiments.