Essdee SoftCut Printmaking and Carving Blocks, PVC, Multi-Colour, 200x150mm

easy to use

I thought this medium would be much softer than lino. Will continue to practice as already brought.

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Always buy this brand.Really easy to cut into.

Really great for linocut. It is super soft and easy to cut. I like the colour as I could see my traced pattern better than the dark coloured lino I used before. I used with Essdee water based ink and the two are compatible and my prints turned out perfectly. I will be buying again.

I hadn't done any lino cutting before, so I can't compare. However, this stuff was really easy to carve, almost too easy! I drew my design, a bird, on to the lino with a biro (not ideal but it doesn't matter as it gets cut away). Then used a v shaped tool to cut the lines. I have a selection of tools but used this same one for this design. I then rollered on some acrylic paint, pressed my thin cotton fabric on to the lino, and rubbed away. I used a small clean hard roller and my hands. When I lifted the cloth off, voila! I had a fabulous bird outlined in the faded blue background. You are really supposed to use ink but I didn't have any and was eager to try it. Plus the faded effect was just what I wanted. I couldn't believe how good it looks! This stuff is going to be a great boon to me. I may try and get some larger sheets.

Recently started doing lino cutting and have really enjoyed using this particular one as I find the harder stuff a bit tough and often end up gouging it ( I know this is user error) but with the soft cut it makes it much easier for me to make accurate cuts. Will order time and time again

I bought this to try in my printing practice to trial. I wouldn’t recommend them for professional use. Whilst they’re easy to cut, they’re very unforgiving, you can’t use carbon paper or pencil to mark on them and your design will quickly rub off so anything too detailed is pointless. Probably great for hobbyist.