If you like making DIY projects, dabbling in different arts, or even just looking at beautiful artistic creations on social media, you may have come across videos of people carving intricate designs onto a linoleum block, and using it to create striking monochromatic or colourful prints. Several Bengalureans, having seen these popular reels, have been seeking out linocut workshops. “The videos of linocuts from Japan, and even other places in Southeast Asia have been popping up quite a bit on my Instagram. It’s becoming popular because of the novelty of it,” says Jeel Gandhi, the founder of a pharmaceutical company who recently attended a workshop after coming across it on the social media platform. She explains the appeal, saying, “In three to four hours, it allows you to decompress from the everyday hustle of life. Once you start doing it, it’s almost meditative and like you’re in a state of flow.”
Seeing a boom since mid 2024, linocut workshops typically teach how to draw a design on paper, transfer it onto a sheet of linoleum, carve it using V and U-shaped chisels, cover it in inks and transfer it onto an acid-free surface to create a print. “Once you carve the linoleum sheet, you can’t undo it or stick it back on, so it makes you very deliberate while also not allowing for a lot of perfectionism. Having those kinds of restrictions sometimes almost sets you free,” says Jyotsna, an artist and arts educator who conducts these workshops. The reveal at the end is what makes it worth it. “The most appealing thing is the surprise element...it can be a little different, or it will be rugged, and can even look more creative than the original,” says Prema Ramprasad, a retired professor and enthusiast.
For those who want to get creative with the process, woodcut printmaking may be the next step. “Different materials create a print with a slightly different tone and feeling to the image. So most artists take advantage of these things according to what their image or what their expression requires. If you wanted flat blacks and very smooth colours, you might use something like linoleum to create a lino cut, whereas, if you wanted the grain and this raw look of wood, you might use something like a woodcut,” says Mark Mathew, member of Praxis Techne Studio which conducts woodcut workshops.
While workshop participants typically make prints on paper, the creative possibilities of the form are endless. “Students have gone on to use this technique in pottery and earthenware, in poster making, zine making, printing of bags and T-shirts,” says Monica Prasad, co-founder of Studio Sakura which regularly conducts linocut workshops. Jyotsna too has taken the form forward with a unique comic project. “It will have multiple panels and each panel will be a separate lino-print. I’m doing multiple layers of different inks. It’s a slow process, but because one of the layers is going to have silver ink lined with black or brown, it makes the comic much more interesting,” she says.
What is Linocut Printmaking?
Linocut, fundamentally a relief printmaking process (a process in which prints are created from raised surfaces) is closely tied to woodcut printing, its ancient predecessor. “Woodcut is the oldest printmaking technique invented in China in the 9th century which was further perfected by the Japanese artist Hokusai. Linocut was invented in the late 19th century in the UK and several European artists started using linoleum for printmaking which was otherwise used to cover floors and walls,” explains Monica Prasad.