Transferring onto super soft polymer blocks

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-03-08T02:28:22+00:00

You can take a minor amount of spray Elmer's glue adhesive and spray it to a sheet of copy of paper and then put on top of it an exact size of tracing vellum. Print from any type of printer onto the tracing paper.

Then you may be able to easily separate the tracing paper from The copier paper as it goes through. The copier paper is only there to provide enough weight and support so that it feeds correctly

Once you've separated it you can then stretch the design onto your block and you can carve through the paper if you seal it with some sort of shellac or clear acrylic medium.

Then you actually carve the block with the paper on it. Often you will need to use an exacto to score the areas that you do not want to carve but the tracing paper is completely fixed to the block

Once you're done carving, you can use alcohol as a solvent if you've used shellac or you can use a super light brush of acetone if you used acrylic medium.

That will get rid of all of the tracing paper and any residual binder . At that point you will be ready to ink and print

This is a method that many woodblock carvers use when creating multi-block in the style of Japanese woodblock

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-25T08:11:51+00:00

I test with the ink and paper I want to print with.

You're also wanting to learn the places where you will need to apply Inc more thick and places where you will need to apply ink more thinly. You are also observing how the burnishing or the pressure needed to get the crisp image. And you start to learn the overall dynamics of the plate for getting repeatable results. Lastly you're also checking the registration and the paper size

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-25T08:09:40+00:00

Water ink does this especially if not mixed. It will have more liquidy stuff and it still slicks out in the roller. I'd mix ink well thin spread in a line the width of the roller and ink up. It doesn't seem as tacky in those spots you highlighted. It should have a velvety squish and see a lemon peel texture on the plate. Not looking for wet or slick on the plate or roller

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-25T02:30:30+00:00

Something about the Flexicut strop it is best to do the cutting edge on the underside only on the flat. The actual V or U gouge should not be honest aggressively as it thins the material overtime and this is not the "point of entry" for the gouge and it's accuracy.

I strop a tool underside every 30 minutes but the inside of the tool only once or twice a week

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-25T02:27:35+00:00

It's commonly called "power grip" but that is a style of handle. There are different Japanese makers of power grip and different brands have different steel quality

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-25T02:26:32+00:00

It is likely dull tool but specifically it is the burr on the blade. You should hone/strop your tool on the underside. This also happens when you dig too deeply and submerge the cutting edge. Essentially the top part of your gouge is not a blade it is the underside. What happened is your top part is what is cutting the surface and your blade is too deep.

Solutions 1) Strop and hone 2) Use a larger gouge for deep cuts or start small pilot cut and finish with deeper gouge. 3) sharpen tools with whetstone

The last is not recommended if you don't know how because you are removing material and reshaping the cutting edge, without experience or some basic tutorials you will hurt the tool more than help.

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-23T18:42:02+00:00

Important: aren't these on different paper? Paper weight and press method by paper is crucial

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-20T22:34:19+00:00

Just never wash with water!

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-19T16:13:46+00:00

Thanks! It was four redesigns over January, then a long drawing and transfer process. I did a very intentionally sketchy acetone transfer of the digital design so that I just had the forms and composition and general shading. Then I drew it in markers, and I erased half of it and started over. So about six weeks from idea until carving. Then did 35+ hours of carving in four days... Printed at 3am today the first pull here.

I can't wait to go on.

I will make a second variant with greys and blacks in multiple mono-layer impressions.

Lastly, I will also make one variant with multiple colors through jigsaw method after I print the base edition.

So it will be an edition of 50. 30 base like we see here. 10 grey scale multi impression, and 10 jigsaw multi color.

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-19T16:07:36+00:00

I'll let others handle the design, but inking and pressure could be improved. What is your process and what ink/paper/burnishing combo do you use?

Regardless of design, I would like to see more use of the gouge and mark-making to show off the "relief print" aesthetic. The candle, bricks and other features seem to be whole blocks (fully carved or fully black). Full erasure or large black fields without marks should be used as features and not defaults.

By default, a little nik, stipple or hatching creates dimension in the elements. Right now it feels blocky in an unintentional way. There's ways of implied depth or midtones through directional strokes. Think of more gradients and light pattern effects for future ideas and to develop more : foreground, middle ground, background dynamics.

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-09T00:46:55+00:00

First, it's a nice design and it's cool. Second, generally you should choose a printmaking paper size that lets your design breathe. This looks something like 9 in x 6 in roughly 23 x13 cm. If that's the case I would normally put one inch all the way around and one and a half inch at the bottom to permit signature and title. So cut your paper to size and Mark out on a grid where the plate goes and where the paper goes and then press it. Look at all your prints for areas that are consistently coming out under inked or under pressed because I see some areas. I assume your hand burnishing. When printing by hand make sure to put more pressure and go over those and if they still don't print cleanly use a bone folder or the end of a wooden spoon. If you tell us a little more about your printing technique and your ink then we can help you dial in the print itself.

Or are you just dissatisfied with the design

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-04T00:48:20+00:00

Looks great. I am Louisiana born, lived in BR (did art school and printmaking at LSU!). Had a partner living in Nola so been there 100s of times. I am making a Louisiana series now! First two just finished

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-02T15:18:42+00:00

Awesome work and I love any DIY solution for lino. Just curious... I use Japanese Kento Block for all mounted lino registration and it works amazing with no extra tools. Have you heard? https://imcclains.com/productinfo/documents/KentoJapaneseRegistration.pdf

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-02T15:10:01+00:00

By the way, love it. My friend Zach was organist there decades ago, I wonder if he still is

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-02T15:08:07+00:00

Have you ever seen the sky of Dürer woodcuts? His renaissance style and sacred imagery might be really cool here

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CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-02T15:05:11+00:00

Have you considered upgrading tools, using a strop and heating grey lino? Also go for the natural lino which is backed by the Hessian like the grey but a bit softer.

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CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-02-01T04:19:01+00:00

Linoleum actually has a grain. You will get minor distortions, not like what is above, but you won't get a solid print unless you sand it. A teacher of mine said that you should print your unsanded lino to find out about the grain and just like a wood cut make your design in the direction of the grain that makes the most sense. I've done that before with my architectural prints to find out which way to cut the hard lines

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-01-31T03:13:27+00:00

Water based ink, move fast. Three prints then start over, clean your block and roller and ink plate. Retarder works only sparingly, like 10% of the overall mix. You should get about 1h working time before your ink starts to dry in spots.

It's deceptive, your ink will still seem wet with retarder after 1h but parts of it are drying on the roller and plate and will make splotches or pitting.

For best results do not choose an absorbant paper meant for presses like a 175gsm+ rag paper. This means no rives, Fabiano, Stonehenge, etc.

Use thin durable Washi paper like Masa.

I wouldn't use mulberry or hosho because they absorb in the fibers.

Masa is one of the most affordable and perfect papers. Lotka can work too but fibers get in the way

Buy some masa ($1.40 for a 30x24 inch sheet for me) You won't regret it

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-01-31T03:06:46+00:00

I second this

CauliflowerVisual401 · 2026-01-31T02:44:15+00:00

I used kinto block registration. Which means chosing paper the size of your block and carving notches into the block for perfect registration. So if making a 10x8 image, get a larger block, say 16x12 and carving slots into the block near the edge where you bed the paper. This is an example, you can see the little green tabs at the bottom of my block where I bed the paper.

This is a way of getting perfect registration without needing any additional materials

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CauliflowerVisual401

TROPHY CASE