Sharpen up on Lino Printing with Ray Gonzalez

In ‘Sharpen-Up on Lino Printing’ you’ll learn all the basics of linoleum block printing and gain an in-depth understanding of the carving tools and techniques. This class is focused on creating a single plate image to hone in on different carving methods. The 4 hour long class will begin with an understanding of what linoleum relief printing is and how it works with an explanation of how to frame positive and negative space into your carving plans.

Next you’ll get to know our tools, familiarize ourselves with the lino cutters and practice a few carving techniques to get used to how they can work best for your style. After a review of what you learned together, the class will move on to creating a new block print of your own design with the techniques learned in the class.

The class will end learning how to ink and print the plates. You’ll get to explore monochromatic and rainbow roll techniques (a quick way to add color to your block print). All attendees will get to print the cover of their own notebook to take home and expand on your new skill!

Each attendee will walk away with:

• Finished lino block of their own design
• Test prints
• Final print on acid-free printmaking paper
• Notebook with custom printed cover
• An understanding of the lino printing process from design to final print

Students will learn how to use the following printmaking supplies available at ARCH:

• Speedball carving tool
• Relief printmaking inks of various colors
• Brayers (ink rollers)
• Barren (hand press tool)
• Translucent tracing paper
• Good Printmaking paper

About Ray

Ray Gonzalez is a professional printmaker whose works have shown in group shows across the Bay Area and San Francisco over the last year in galleries like ACCI in Berkeley and SFWA Gallery and Hunt & Gather in San Francisco. They are an ArtSpan artist and outreach committee member, and a recent recipient of honorable mentions for LGBTQ+ artists from the John Sheridan Art Prize 2024. With an arts education from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Gonzalez learned about design and color theory through their background in theatrical productions.

The art of storytelling is still very present in their work, though now mostly carved into a block of linoleum. On the art of Linoprinting they state, “I feel like Linoprinting or most relief printmaking is a satisfying dance between the embrace of positive and negative space. However life doesn’t exist only in the positive and negative, the spaces in between is where the beauty lies. How we choose to manipulate that space guides how we choose for our work to be seen.”

More of Ray’s work can be found on Instagram @rays_prints

Host or Publisher ARCH Art Supplies