Customer Reviews

Linoleum Block Printing (Dover Craft Books)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The first advantage of this book is that it strictly linoleum block printing, not woodblock nor etching nor any of the many other methods of printing. So if you are only interested in lino printing, this is definitely worth the price.
No, the samples on the front are not included in the text. Look at the sample. Do the sample. You don't need specific instructions for the samples. The techniques are inside the book.
Yes, it was written in the forties and some technology has changed in that time. For those of you who did not live through the fifties, gummed cellophane tape is Scotch tape. You can use push pins instead of thumb tacks.
There is a chapter on using a photo for a design. It involves photography equipment and solutions. Today we can do the same thing in PhotoShop, including reversing the picture But the important information is that you need to simplify the details.
Some of the projects I probably will never do: print on a necktie, for example. But the principles of the process apply to other projects. And reading about these projects has triggered ideas for my own creative processes.
What I like about the book is that the author is addressing lino block printing. She makes the point that this medium has its limitations. Create your design within those limitations and you can be satisfied with the results.

I made the mistake of buying this, maybe I can spare you the same.
This book was actually written sometime in the forties and has projects such as "Monogrammed Handkerchieves" and "Monogrammed Stationery" and is woefully out of date in almost every other aspect. The materials it talks about are all from the forties and not what is now commercially available. I found absolutely nothing in this book to be useful or pertinent.

I purchased this book hoping for designs for linoleum blocks. That's not what it was, though. It is a good manual on how to do everything concerning linoleum block printing. It is old text/photos, looks like from decades ago, but very relevant to today's practice of linoleum block printing as well. Very detailed-in depth. The description of the product could have been better so I would have known exactly what I was getting. Wasn't what I thought. That's why I gave it 4 stars, not 5.

I love this book. It's especially handy for those of us who just need a quick reference, refresher or just want to get printing. As for any outdated info, that can be easily remedied by picking up just about any art supply company catalog.

Because there is no way to "look inside", I picked this book because of the nice cover. The book is listed as a 1972 addition, which is pretty old too, but not as old as it really is. This is a reprint of the book from 1950-s. The photos are of poor quality, techniques are outdated, and the projects don't look as nice as the cover. No single picture from the cover is presented inside, so the cover is deceptive. I am returning the book.

Haven't read the whole book, am using it for reference. To the point, good tips. Would recommend.