Slowly Accepting Imperfection
Why I Always Return to Linocut in a Fast-Paced World
When I spend time sketching and planning in a cafe at the weekend, sit at the “studio” table in my kitchen after a full day of work or visit an open access print session, I don’t turn on the television or scroll through a feed. I pick up a V-tool and carve away at a piece of battleship gray linoleum or a huge roller spread with ever changing shades of ink. It’s slow, it’s messy, and it’s gloriously imperfect (often in spite of my obsession with registering my prints to the milimeter.)
This is the central paradox of Triangle Print Studio: In a world optimized for speed and flawless digital reproduction, I immerse myself in one of the oldest, most deliberate, and most resistant art forms.
The question that guides most posts here, and the question at the root of this post: Why Printmaking?
The Constraint as a Creative Catalyst
As a part-time artist, time is my most precious and frustrating constraint. I have to make the most of times around the rest of life, when energy levels are not always at their highest. My creative outputs result from focused, one or two-hour bursts, often late into the evening.
Printmaking, specifically linocut and woodcut, can thrive in such an environment. It’s an art form of deliberate, non-negotiable stages:
The Drawing: A few hours of intense focus.
The Planning: A time of noodling through layers and colour blends.
The Carving: A meditative practice of many fragmented hours.
The Printing: A session of improvised, high-stakes precision, equal parts frustration and pride.
This structured process is the framework that allows me, and perhaps you, to consistently show up and make work, even when other realms of life demand the majority of our attention.
Why Imperfection is the Point
Every single print is a product of it’s block(s) and, although repetitive in nature, no two are ever an exact match of another.
The beauty of printmaking exists in the tangerine skin texture of the ink, the miniature misalignment of every registration, and the seemingly shifting pressure of the press. These tiny ‘failures’, which would be scrubbed out in any digital process, are evidence of my hand in the process.
What I share here on Triangle Print Studio is not just the final, framed piece. It’s the story of those intentional imperfections (as well as some unintentional ones.)
Mistakes: What happened when I put too much extender in my ink, and what it taught me about getting more natural delicate shades.
Materials: Geeking out on inks, papers, lino, rollers, and how so much time can be spent agonising choices.
Reflection: What the subject meant to me when I started carving, and what it meant when the final print emerged.
What You Get By Subscribing
Triangle Print Studio is not really an art newsletter; it’s a support network for those of us hooked on this incredibly intentional pursuit. If you appreciate the commitment, the structure, and the philosophical underpinning of a slow art form, this is your community.
By subscribing, you get direct, free access to the full spectrum of my creative practice, delivered right to your inbox. You become a virtual resident of the studio.
Creative Reflections: Philosophical essays on the necessary balance between the technical demands of printmaking and a busy, working life. Insight into sustaining a long-term creative practice against real-world constraints.
Process Deep Dives: Photo-heavy posts and essays that break down the technical challenges of specific projects, from carving techniques to ink choice and registration errors. Specific, actionable knowledge on printmaking.
Studio Notes & Material Reviews: Honest assessments of the tools, papers, and consumables I’m using, plus quick thoughts on inspiration and art history. Direct, unfiltered tips to improve your own process and find new inspiration.
Join the Conversation
Whether you are a fellow printmaker, an artist in another medium, or just someone fascinated by the journey from block to print, I’m glad you’re here.
The first, and easiest, step is to subscribe for free. You’ll instantly get all the core content and you can decide later if you want the extra depth.
One final thought before you click “Subscribe”: The greatest lesson of printmaking is that you have to commit to the line you carve. What is the one creative commitment you are making this week, big or small? Let me know in the comments.