Resources for Learners
Budget Tools to Get Started
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Speedycarve blocks - 4x6” - $30 for six blocks (each block can be used on both sides for 12 total carving surfaces)
Strathmore printmaking paper - 5x7” pad
Cranfield Caligo Safewash Tube, Black - $32 - washes up with soap and water!
Other water-soluble inks ARE NOT a replacement for this line. They are essentially thickened up acrylic paint. This means that they almost always will not give good coverage when using in printmaking applications. Complete waste of money.
Wooden spoon - $7 on Amazon, cheaper at thrift stores
Metal spoon - $12 on Amazon, cheaper at thrift stores
I use both wooden and metal spoons regularly in my practice. Printing presses like the popular Woodzilla are fine, but keep in mind they have large marketing budgets and often do not work quite as well as promised.
Slinky - $4 on Amazon - cheap drying rack. As you start printing on larger pieces of paper, you will need more than one slinky to keep the paper prop
Splurges
There are a lot of ads out there. Not everything being advertised to linocut enthusiasts is really worth it. Here’s a short list of tools that were actually helpful to me as I printed more and more.
Shop paper towels - $4
Cold press laminator - $110
Pfeil carving tools - $30-$150 for a set (I bought mine at Jackson’s)
Slip strop - $22