St Cuthberts Mill : Reduction Linocut Printing with Martin Truefitt-Baker

Fine art printmaker and painter, Martin Truefitt-Baker, a fan of Somerset® Satin, shares with us his special techniques of reduction linocut printing.

Martin is a renowned artist working in Wales celebrated for his exquisite lino-cut prints. His work, deeply rooted in the stunning landscapes of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, captures the essence of the Welsh countryside with remarkable detail and sensitivity.

Martin’s prints, often featuring local wildlife including owls, foxes, and badgers, are renowned for their intricate lines, rich textures, and evocative use of colour.

'Kingfisher, Evening Rain'

His dedication to traditional printmaking techniques, including the meticulous process of reduction linocut, combined with a keen eye for nature's beauty, has earned him a dedicated following among art enthusiasts and collectors alike.

The process of reduction lino printing involves rounds of cutting and overprinting onto paper. The surface of the same piece of lino is progressively carved away for each layer of printing.

Martin typically uses 5 or 6 layers of cutting and printing, after that he feels the image starts to lose the interesting graphic look, that he likes. He starts with the lightest tones and works through to the darkest, often blending colours on the lino block itself. The entire process, from design to final edition of prints, can take several weeks.

‘Magpies’ process from painting to print

'Magpie Silver'

Unusually for Martin, this design actually started out as a painting in its own right. He started by carefully observing the magpies in their natural habitat, noting their behavior and distinctive features. Despite the challenges of capturing their quick movements, he sketched the birds, paying close attention to the iridescence of their feathers. He developed a formal composition, featuring five magpies as the central focus, set against a backdrop of a hedge with ivy berries and a distant hill. The final painting, executed in acrylics on linen, aimed to capture the beauty and complexity of the birds and their natural setting. This work was subsequently selected for the prestigious Natural Eye Exhibition.

This is the final painted design for the linocut print.

Reduction linocut steps

There are many ways of designing for linocutting. Martin has developed a method that works for him and his style and subject matter. The design is worked out mainly in a range of tones of blue and painted in blue acrylic. Each of these tones, from light to dark, corresponds to a round of cutting the lino and overprinting.

'Bluebell Fox'

“Why do I design my linocuts in blue?”

“The main reason is, I just find it works for me! I'm sure others may have their own preferences. It seems easier for me to mix a consistent range of blue tones. Think of those tricky greenish tones you can wander in to when you darken yellows, reds go to pink when you lighten them!”

Martin uses graphite paper to transfer the image of the areas to be cut away, from the design, to the lino for each layer of cutting and printing to the lino.

The lino is cut with different sizes and shapes of gouges or a craft knife. The white areas are cut away and the lightest colours are printed for the first layer. For each subsequent layer more lino is cut away and the colours used become darker. At the end of printing all that is left of the lino are the parts that print the (near) black parts of the design.

Rollers are used to apply a very thin layer of ink to the surface of the lino each time it is printed. It’s important not to apply too thick a layer of ink, otherwise the fine carved details can become filled.

It is very important to make sure that the lino prints in exactly the same place on each piece of paper, so that the layers line up properly.

Martin now uses an etching/multiprint press to produce his prints. “You can just use a metal spoon or other smooth object to make a simple print, rubbing/burnishing the back of the paper to press the ink onto the paper, so expensive equipment isn’t always necessary.”

On completing the print, he says, “I had planned for the print to take five layers of cutting and printing, but it ended up with six. The darker areas of the foreground needed more subtlety.

I always find greens difficult to get right in my prints. Ivy leaves are quite bluish, but it was a struggle to get them right in comparison to the blue greys in the rest of the image. I hope I've got somewhere near to the sheen on the tail of a magpie in the final print.”

Cutting the lino

Brighter colours for the tail

Third layer

Layer one

Layer two

Layer three

Layer four

Layer five

This is a one-minute video of some of the techniques and processes involved in making the Magpie Silver print.

Printmaking Paper

When it comes to choosing paper for his prints, Martin shares, “I use Somerset® Satin White 300gsm for my editions. It suits the way I work perfectly and gives consistently great results. The texture and sizing take the ink smoothly with no bleeding. The clean white colour, with no optical brightener and archival quality, gives a professional finish to my work. The absorbency is just right allowing for multiple layers of printing. The surface is strong, but the paper is also very flexible.”