Now for the game “spot the difference”. Look at the two linocut images below. Can you see the difference?

It has something to do with these gorgeous flowers – ACT State Floral Emblem – Royal Bluebells Wahlenbergia gloriosa.

Unfortunately the first image on the isthe proof print for the linoblock I have just finished carving and the second image is a new template including the missing Royal Bluebells.

Sometimes you just make mistakes – some are quite small and some well…mean you have to re-carve a whole linoblock.

Some tips:

1. Sometimes you can carve around a mistake and incorporate it into the design without anyone noticing – well they wouldn’t know would they?

2. If you carve a small piece out and you can locate that piece – with the help of some judicious super glue and toothpicks and tweezers you can often carefully re-insert the piece and carve back into the block so no-one notices…again they wouldn’t know would they?

3. If you have lost the very small piece you can re-carve the piece slightly larger piece and again with the help of some judicious super glue and toothpicks and tweezers you can often carefully re-insert the piece and carve back into the block so no-one notices…again they wouldn’t know would they?

4. Another way is to use a wood filler type product. I have done this a couple of times. It means filling the wrongly carved out space with wood filler (over fill a little to allow for shrinkage but not too much) then when it is completely dry (see instructions on product) sanding carving back the wood filler with a very fine sandpaper (wet & dry) to the same level as the lino. You need to be very careful depending on the style of the design ensuring the surface is as smooth as possible to make it as close to the surface texture of the lino as possible (unless you of course want a rougher section of printing). Hopefully again they wouldn’t know would they?

HOWEVER

5. Sometimes like with the above design you just need to re-carve the whole block…because a design that is all about all the Australian State Floral Emblems that leaves one of those emblems out…well it simply WOULD be noticed!

Copyright – Lynette Weir