Lino Doodles

For my birthday, I sprung for a slipstrop and a few flexcut carving tools. While the tools haven’t arrived yet, I spent an inordinate amount of time stropping the tools I do have yesterday, and friends, let me tell you: sharp tools make battleship gray lino feel like the soft cut stuff.

I was just amazed at the difference. I started with a speedball-knock-off tool with changeable blades, and picked up a package of Temu woodblock carving tools (with real wooden handles!). I currently own on flexcarve palm tool – a very small V-cut that I use for outlining and fine details – and thought that the flexcarve was the biggest upgrade I could make.

After stropping, even the temu tools are feeling good.

So, I felt the need to “doodle” in lino – there was no major plan for this, and it’s just a scrap from a larger piece, but it cut SOOOO nice.

a gray piece of linoleum, with a carving of a kitten with a ball of string cut into it

I have some water-based black to proof with, so of course, here’s a print:

a black print of a cat, playing with a ball of string

Having sharp tools means my control is so much better – not having to use force, but just allowing the blade to cut, guiding it across the material – it’s amazing.

I suspect there will be more doodles in the future, because doing the small things are just fun!

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