Black and White Lino Prints

Caulfield PS

Students in year 6 at Caulfield South Primary School were encouraged to choose their own design for linocut
printing.  The aim was to enjoy and develop skills in printing as well as compete for the “2010 Silk Cut
Award for Linocut Prints”.

Students brainstormed ideas for printing and were also given the option of the theme birds and/or cars.  They
were inspired from viewing prints from the 2009 Silk Cut Award book as well as pictures from the internet and
reference books.  Students drew their design with a lead pencil on paper making sure that it was not larger than
15 cm x 16 cm.  They coloured the back of their paper heavily with a lead pencil.  They then turned it over
and placed it on top of the tile where they traced over it.  (All linocut tiles had been previously cut 15 cm x
16 cm by the teacher.)

In the next lesson students practiced using linocut tools on silk cut lino tiles.  A talk on safety and the
use of tools – place fingers holding the lino behind the lino cutting tool and cut away from the body –
was emphasised every lesson.  Students explored using different tools for making different marks.  Each
student worked on a wooden bench.  They were instructed that whatever lino is not removed would be printed.

Over the next two lessons students carefully carved out their designs.  Once this was completed they were
shown how to spoon Graphics Water Based Block Printing Ink onto plastic and roll over it with a hard roller,
horizontally and vertically to obtain an even consistency, which was then rolled onto the linocut tiles. Students
were shown how to use the printing machine.  They placed their ink-covered linocut tile with cartridge paper on
top and newspaper underneath the roller and turned the handles to print their work.  An even firm tension was
essential.  Each student had several turns over a period of approximately two art lessons.  Best print was
chosen to be mounted onto black poster paper.

Kieran Murray’s print of a bird was selected from all the schools in Australia to be one of the finalists in
the 2010 Silk Cut Award for Linocut prints.

Visual Arts Teacher
Lorraine Schnall
Caulfield South Primary School
Suitable for Level 4