Multi Colour Reduction Print

Reduction prints are created by carving away, or reducing, the lino between each colour thereby producing limited edition prints.

By the time the final colour is laid down no further prints can be pulled, because the image is gradually removed from the lino.

Below is a simple demonstration - some artists can repeat this process up to 30 times, producing beautiful multicoloured prints. As they need to be laid over the top of one another, colours are generally printed from lightest to darkest.

The carving, inking and printing process is the same as the single colour print.

Yellow layer

Before printing the yellow colour, anything that needs to remain white (the white of the paper) is carved away - in this case it is some highlights on the ears of wheat.

Orange layer

Anything that needs to remain the yellow colour is carved away from the block - the orange colour is then printed over the top.

Final layer - black

Anything that needs to remain the orange colour is carved away, and the final layer is then printed. 

This brings the image to life and gives it definition.