This month I'm teaching 3 lino print workshops.
Wednesday 9 February 2022
First workshop of the year with Jodie, Lesley, Ruth and Janet. What fabulous prints! So good to be back teaching again.
Text can be tricky, especially as you have to carve the lino block as a mirror image. The fine lines for the biscuit design were carved using the smallest V-shaped Essdee gouge and are very effective. Lesley made a linocut print of a heron. The carved away bulrushes balance against the more linear design of the heron and the surrounding solid colour background. Ruth’s stylised linocut of York Minster shows how a very complicated photo or image can be distilled down to give an impactful design. Janet’s fox draws your eye through the picture and uses contrast of the white space against printed areas to give the design pop.
What did you enjoy the most about the day?
"Spending the whole day doing something creative felt like such a treat. Thank you! And thanks for your gentle, knowledgeable guidance."
"Great Facilities, equipment and teaching."
"Relaxed atmosphere. Small number participants. Lovely venue. Individual attention to ensure we all got an outcome."
"Lovely relaxed atmosphere, superb detailed teaching and lots of resources, plus the chance to try again to get printing right."
Saturday 12 February 2022
What better way to spend a cold rainy winter's day!
Clare made a linocut print of her whippet, Baxter. She spent a bit of time adjusting the composition to create a balance between the placement of the dog in the landscape. The contrast in the markmaking of the sea helps the solid area of the dog pop out.
Alison carved straight lines and fine markmaking textures for her Whitby Steps lino print. Not an easy thing to do at all. Louise created a linocut of a tree with an owl and dog. Cutting away the background lino with a knife is tricky but gives a clean white background. Sara used the carving away of the background to create movement and enevery to get bird lino print.
What did you enjoy the most about the day?
"Getting the confidence to try. Seeing all the fab results."
"Everything! Support, creativity, seeing the studio etc."
"The clarity of instruction. Clearing the fog I was struggling with by myself."
"Seeing the design come to life when inked and printed."
Monday 28 February 2022
Monday’s linocut workshop. Aren't they great! Steve came over from Blackpool & two friends, Christine & Maggie came up from Ruby to combine the workshop with a city break in the lovely city of York. I'm always happy to give tips of places to eat, stay and things to do.
Sue created a lovely illustrative style of linocut of two people shed sketch on a walk. Christine’s design used different markmaking techniques for her wheat print. Maggie’s first print of flowers in a vase used a variety of carved line widths to create contrast. Steve simplified his original sketch of the Arran coast , contrasting seashells on the shoreline, with continuously carved wave lines and lots of detail in the light house. Tricky to do at that small scale.
What did you enjoy the most about the day?
“Relaxed atmosphere. Supportive and encouraging approach. Lots of inspiration. Great location.”
“Working in a small group and learning from each other whilst Michelle taught us.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the structure given to today’s course which was done in a relaxed way. Thank you.”
“Use of the various cutting blade shapes and the difference between the lino types. Realisation that it's difficult!”
Would you like to learn how to make a linocut print?
Online courses
Online self-paced learning. Full access for one year, so that you can study at your own pace and home. Instructional videos and step-by-step guides.
Beginners guide to linocut printing
How to make a multi-block linocut print
Linocut workshops
My linocut workshops are all held in my York print studio. I teach in small groups of no more than four people, so that everyone gets lots of one to one tuition.
Introduction to linocut printing workshop
Follow on 'jigsaw' linocut printing workshop
See my linocut workshops and online courses page for links to each of my courses and workshops.
Linocut and printmaking tools and materials
Find out more about the tools and equipment needed to create linocut prints in my 'lino cutting equipment' blog.
See step-by-step how I make my linocut prints
See examples of how I make my linocut prints in the Studio Diary section of my blog.
To be first to hear about my latest designs, online courses and workshops please join my mailing list.
Happy linocutting!
Michelle
About the author
Michelle Hughes is a North Yorkshire landscape artist. Much of her work depicts the Yorkshire landscape and Yorkshire coast, including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
Michelle loves exploring the British countryside by bike or on foot, camera in hand, capturing ideas for her next prints. Back in her garden studio, Michelle creates simple but stylised silhouettes based on her photographs, and hand carves these shapes into lino. She hand prints with an etching press, using oil-based inks to create tonal blocks of colour.
Michelle’s original linocut prints are limited editions.