Nature Imprinted
A complete guide to lino printing, with 10 nature inspired designs
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Capture the beautiful natural world with printmaking linocut blocks from Inky Dog Studio's Jane Spink. Learn to make your own linocut blocks of the world all around you.
"What makes this book's projects and directions exemplary is the freedom it gives beginners to personalize and choose their subject matter." LIBRARY JOURNAL
Jane Spink, founder of dynamic and successful Inky Dog Studio, shares her working process for creating her stunning prints inspired by the natural world. Be taken through the initial sketches and inspirational photos, explore different linocut 'doodles' to discover your favorite marks to carve, then ultimately carve the final design onto a block.
Following a fascinating chapter and demo exercise on key linocut techniques, Jane guides you through 10 striking projects, each adding useful skills as you proceed. In this way, you build and develop your carving and printing skills at your own pace, while creating a remarkable work of art. Learn to carve birds, flowers, leaves and more, and simultaneously see how to make negative images, incorporate different colors and make complex versions.
From ready to use templates for all the projects, you can start making your own print blocks, and learn tips for developing the skills to create your own.
This is a gorgeous, highly visually intuitive how-to book that breaks away from the dry step-by-step guide, and will be a springboard for you to set out on, or advance further along, your own nature-inspired linocut journey.
About this Author
Jane is a UK-based printmaker and artist and the genius behind Inky Dog Studio. Since early childhood, she has loved to make artwork and enjoyed exploring different media, processes and techniques. Jane's also always had a passion for nature, particularly birds, and for creating art inspired by them.
After completing a foundation course in Art and Design in Southend-On-Sea, Essex, UK in the late 1970s, Jane earned a degree in Textile Design at Central St Martins School of Art in the 1980s, paving the way for her career in art. For nearly 20 years Jane worked as a freelance textile and graphic designer, followed by 16 years of teaching art, both in schools and in adult education settings.
Throughout that time, she always had a particular hunger for printmaking techniques. In 2018, Jane left teaching to set up her own art/printmaking practice, Inky Dog Studio. In just under five years she amassed a huge following, with over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Besides selling her work through her online shop and other retailers, small curated selections of her prints can be found in a handful of independent UK galleries.
Jane lives and works in the historic market town of Rayleigh, Essex, UK, with her studio overlooking a beautiful, old, Georgian windmill.
Reviews
LIBRARY JOURNAL
Printmaker Spink introduces readers to linocut printing, which involves carving designs onto linoleum blocks. In the introduction, Spink gives a short history of this type of printmaking, praises its simplicity and versatility, and discusses its affordability. The book provides a list of required materials--cutting and print surfaces, ink brayers, and more--and explains what each one does, the pros and cons of different options, their ease of use, and the quality of their finished products. Spink also gives beginners advice for scaling up tools once they have gained experience, troubleshooting tips, and encouragement. The 10 printmaking projects emphasize the juxtaposition of light and dark design elements, and they progress from simple shapes to more detailed, complex compositions, guiding readers through the steps to manipulate photos to linocut and identify shadows and highlights. The book offers templates, but readers can choose a photograph or sketch of their own to use as a reference image.
VERDICT Accessible and eminently practical, this is an essential guide to linocut printing. What makes this book's projects and directions exemplary is the freedom it gives beginners to personalize and choose their subject matter.
Pressing Matters - March 2024
Spurred on by the global climate crisis, printmaker Jane Spink feels increasingly motivated to make art that will help raise awareness and re-connect people to the nature that we all share the planet with. And having worked as a freelance textile and graphic designer for nearly 20 years, followed by 16 years teaching art in schools, she's well placed to bring this new linocut 'how to' guide into the world. Based on artwork created under the moniker Inky Dog Studio, Nature Imprinted is a great resource for anyone looking to get into the craft of linocut.
All Things Paper - June 2024
Would you like to learn linocut printing from an expert? Search Press has just the book for you! In Nature Imprinted, UK artist and author Jane Spink shepherds readers through the process of creating linocut blocks, and details how to use them to make lovely prints that reflect the beauty of the natural world.
You'll learn to carve birds, flowers, leaves and more while building your skill set with each project. As Jane declares in the book's opening, I will never stop being amazed at the potential this process offers to create new ideas. From strong, simple and graphic, to the capacity for achieving the finest details, linocut printing is a wonderful technique for creating many, many different styles of artwork.
She says you don't need to spend a lot to get started and suggests purchasing a simple kit... that's always welcome news when trying a new hobby. I found it interesting to read about the tools, inks and papers, and how to handle them. For example, pressing tools range from a simple wooden spoon to book presses, or printing and etching presses that can cost up to a hundred thousand dollars! Techniques are presented one by one and there is also a handy troubleshooting section. A template is included for each design. By the way, prints don't have to be black and white...vivid colors can be used too.
Enjoy a flipthrough video on the book's Amazon page where there are already 26 verified reviews. Each one is 5 stars - it doesn't get much better than that! Also, check out Jane Spink's website, Inky Dog Studio, and her very popular Instagram feed... she is @inkydogstudio.
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