3 of my Favorite Printmaking Books with DIY Printmaking Ideas

Are you looking for reference books for printmaking and your creative work? Below are 3 of my favorite linocut books with DIY printmaking ideas! I have each one in my studio. Check your local library to see if they have them, or order them online to grow your collection of block printing books. Have you ever had too many printmaking books?

Block Print Magic: ​The essential guide to designing, carving, and taking your artwork further with relief printing. By Emily Louise Howard

Block Print Magic is a fun book introducing new artists to printmaking and offering helpful tips to experienced printmakers. It has excellent step-by-step tutorials with clear photos and instructions for the printmaking process. Emily Louise Howard creates tutorials with step-by-step DIY instructions in her artistic style. In addition to this book, you can see more of her work on her website. She makes beautiful prints and illustrations based on present and historical figures and tales. 

Additionally, I love that this book features the work of five other artists and showcases the different ways linocut prints can be made. These features include work by Lili Arnold, Jen Hewett, Kelli MacConnell, Derrick Riley, and Aftyn Shah. It is fun to see their work in print! You can find all of these incredible artists on social media—give them a follow! 

Throughout this book, you will see a range of DIY printmaking techniques shared and explained, specifically multi-block printing, reduction cut linoleum block prints, puzzle blocks, and rainbow-roll printing. The book walks readers through four specific follow-along projects: a colorful, multi-block hex sign, a reduction cut sunflowers print, a one-page pocket zine from a single block, and a fabric wall hanging embellished with embroidery. 

This book makes printmaking accessible. In short, you do not need a big budget to get started in your studio. The DIY tightrope drying rack tutorial in this book is a fun thing to make for your home studio. Emily also has a list of essential art materials to get you started on your first printmaking project. This was one of the first printmaking books I purchased post-college, and I routinely recommend it to new printmakers. 

This book was published in 2019.

Linocut: A creative guide to making beautiful prints. By Sam Marshall

Linocut dives deep into the technical aspect of making a linoleum block print. So look no further if you are looking for a book that walks you through multiple registration techniques! Inside, you’ll find a super-simple registration technique, paper template registration, a registration board, and instructions on using Ternes Burton clips. 

Printmaking has a rich history and many traditions you can learn about. This book has an entire chapter explaining the traditional editioning process and signing of prints. I find editioning interesting. (Sometimes, I edition my prints, but not always!)

You will find interviews with Sam Marshall, the authors, and five linoleum cut artists in this book. Featured artists in this book are Cally Conway, Harriet Popham, Izzy Williamson, Meg Justice, and Tristan Sherwood inside. These incredible artists on social media – give them a follow to see their current work!

This book was published in 2023.

Botanical Block Printing: A creative step-by-step handbook to make art inspired by nature. By Rosanna Morris

Botanical Block Printing is my newest favorite. Surprisingly, one thing this book includes that I have never seen before is detailed information about using earth pigments and hand-made ink in printmaking. Talk about a super cool new skill to learn! Rosanna takes you step by step through the science of earth colors, how to collect earth pigments, best practices, safety precautions, processing harvested materials, and making your very own ink! I can think of endless reasons why this is incredibly inspiring and cool. I love nature, and including pigments from an area of inspiration is such a sweet collaboration with nature! The resulting prints you pull from handmade ink would be meaningful and encapsulate a literal place and time. 

In addition to the deep dive into pigments, this book includes everything you need to know about getting started with printmaking and evaluating different tools and materials you might purchase. Each chapter has lots of detail to inspire your printmaking journey; whether you haven’t pulled your first print yet or are a seasoned printmaker with lots of printing blocks, you will learn something new from this book.

This book was published in 2024.

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