Step-by-step lino block printing

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Fabric printing is a fun and creative way to personalise your home furnishings or make your own artwork. Angela Haughton talks you through screen-printing and block printing.

You will need

White graphite tracing paper (from Spotlight); flower template (link below); pencil; lino block, carving tools, sponge paint roller, hard rubber roller (all from art supply stores); fabric paint or fabric medium to add to acrylic paints (from art supply stores or Spotlight); a length of fabric (we used cotton drill).

Step 1.
Place white graphite tracing paper on the smooth side of your piece of lino. Then place your flower design (from our website) on top. To hold your design in position, tape both papers to the lino. Using a coloured pencil, trace firmly around the outline of the design – the pressure from the pencil will imprint the graphite paper, which will transfer the markings on to the lino.

Step 2.
Armed with various shaped carving tools (these are available in packs from art suppliers), you can begin carving. Using a cutter, start by tracing around the edge of the image. Next, carve out the negative area around the image, carving in the same direction as the ‘grain’ of the lino. When cutting, make sure that you don’t go too deep, and always cut away from your design and your body, as the tools are very sharp. Once finished, wipe the lino down with a damp cloth, to remove any loose particles.
Tip: If the lino is too stiff and carving is difficult, leave it in the sun for five minutes. This will cause it to soften, making it a little easier to carve.

Step 3.
Now for the painting. Using a foam roller and paint tray, coat roller liberally with paint then roll over lino, making sure that the entire surface of the block is covered with paint.
Tip: To avoid the extra cost of purchasing fabric paints, you can simply purchase fabric medium, which can be added to acrylic craft paints to adapt them for fabric use. Just mix two parts of the medium to one part acrylic paint.

Step 4.
Iron your chosen fabric and lay it out flat on your work surface. Work out where you want your design to be then carefully place your painted lino face-down on to fabric. Using the hard rubber roller, roll over the entire surface of the tile, applying firm pressure.

Step 5.
Carefully lift lino off fabric then set fabric aside to dry. Once dry, iron fabric (make sure to set the iron to the appropriate level). This will heat-set the fabric, so the paint won’t run in the wash.

Step 6.
To apply a different colour, wash the lino block with a scrubbing brush and water, until all traces of paint are gone, then allow to dry.  We printed two different versions of the same print – white on red fabric and red on white. We also carved out stripes on another lino block, and printed these on to our larger cushions.

Templates:
- Fabric flower stencil

- Fabric Tree Stencil

Production & styling: Angela Haughton. Photography: Scott Hawkins.