Winter Wren Linocut | Denise Coble

Discover the charm of the winter wren in this stunning linocut artwork. Celebrating the simplicity of bold contrasts and delicate textures, this design perfectly captures the season’s beauty. Denise Coble works from her own photos and sketches of ivy, snowdrops and wrens in this atmospheric lino print.

Materials:

• Surface:
• Daler-Rowney Smooth Cartridge Paper
• Hessian backed lino
  
  
• Ink:
• Cranfield Caligo Safewash Relief Ink:
• Black
• Phthalo Blue
• Opaque White
  
  
• Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Artist Ink:
• Marine Blue
  
  
• Brushes & Tools:
• Lino Cutting Tools:
• Small v gouge (12/1v)
• Small u gouge (11/0.5u)
• Large u gouge (9/5u)
  
  
• Daler-Rowney Short Flat ¾ ink brush
• Baren
• 16cm roller
• Palette knife
  
  
• Plus:
• Pencil
• Tracing paper
• Fine sandpaper
• Sakura Pigma Micron Pen 05 (0.45mm)
• Inking plate / glass sheet
• Non-slip mat
  
  
• You may also like:
• Essdee Lino Cutting & Printing Kit
• Essdee Safety Hand Guard

Shop Block & Lino Printing

Step 1

Start working out your design using a rough sketch and reference photos, then refine this into a more stylised drawing, drawn out on tracing paper.

TIP

• Remember that your finished lino print will be a mirror image of the carved lino, so if you have used words, numbers or landmarks in your design, these will need to be flipped on your design – so they print the right way round

Step 2

It is best to lightly sand your lino block with fine sandpaper before you start transferring the design; this helps the ink adhere to the block later. Transfer the design from the tracing paper onto your lino by turning your paper over so the drawing is facedown on the lino. Hold the tracing paper in place with masking tape. Go over the lines so the carbon of the pencil transfers onto the lino block. Go over the pencil lines with a fineliner pen to make the drawing clearer and stronger.

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Step 3

To make it easier to see where you have carved, paint a diluted mixture of ink over your drawing. I am using Daler-Rowney ink…