Learning how to linocut.

I signed up for a linocut class without really knowing what linocut was (this is likely going to be a theme of 2026 as I try to dive right in and have fun).

It was at WNY Book Arts Center, the same place where I took a letterpress class and left feeling like I had been let in on a small, tactile secret.

So when I saw another printing class on the schedule, I didn’t overthink it and registered right away. I walked in without a plan (again, part of me trying to detach myself from always being so productive), and still didn’t know what it was.

Linocut, as it turns out, is a form of relief printmaking. You carve a design into a sheet of linoleum, roll ink over the surface, and press it onto paper.

The carved-away areas don’t print, which means you have to think in reverse; what you remove is just as important as what you leave behind.

It’s a process that’s been around since the early 20th century, when artists started using linoleum as a softer, more accessible alternative to wood for printmaking. The results can look bold and graphic, but getting there requires a surprising amount of patience.

We started by sketching out ideas; simple images are easier. There’s something about being handed a blank surface and told to create that can feel either freeing or slightly paralyzing. I scrolled through a few reference images and landed on something simple: cherries (my favorite fruit).

I traced the general shape onto tracing paper, transferred it to the linoleum block, and started carving.

I carved carefully at first, then a little more confidently as I got used to the tools. The motion is slow and deliberate. You have to pay attention to the direction you’re carving, the pressure you’re using, and the spacing between lines.

It’s not something you can rush, and it’s definitely not something you can do while distracted.

That was probably my favorite part, as there’s a level of concentration required that feels different from the kind of focus I use when I’m writing or working online. It’s quieter, and you’re just there, working your way through each line, hoping you don’t carve away something you meant to keep.

Linocut isn’t about precision in the way I expected. The cherries I ended up with weren’t exactly what I traced, but they were a version of it, shaped by small decisions along the way. A slightly thicker line here, a deeper carve there. Not being attached to any sort of outcome really made this fun and not stressful.

When it came time to ink and print, there was more to learn. You roll the ink across the surface, press it onto paper, and lift it to see what worked and what didn’t.

Some prints came out cleaner than others; some had thicker lines or darker ink shades (I tried to make my own shade of purple by mixing red and blue).

I left with a dozen cherry prints and that same feeling I had after the letterpress class: the sense that I had stepped outside of my usual routines and made something with my hands, start to finish.

Not everything has to be optimized, planned, or turned into something bigger (I’ve had people ask me if I’m planning to sell my letterpress pieces or linocut prints). In fact, that is the exact OPPOSITE of what I’m trying to do!

I’m burnt out from turning everything into a job, a sale, an opportunity… blame it on the millennial in me (and I’m an INTJ, enneagram 3)! Sometimes it’s enough to try something new, to have a little fun just for the sake of it.

I did share photos of my progress on my social media, and was so surprised by how many people knew what it was and had either taken linocut classes in school or had supplies at home to make prints!

About WNY Book Arts

If you’re local to Buffalo (or ever visiting), I can’t recommend WNY Book Arts enough. It’s a nonprofit space dedicated to book arts, printmaking, and creative exploration, and it truly feels like a hidden gem. I recently became a member because I love what they stand for, and I’ve already signed up for more classes!

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