Lino print ideas for beginners

By JP at PULPO! · Updated 14 October 2026 · 6-minute read

The best first lino prints are bold, simple and one colour. Pick a subject with a clear outline, keep it about 10 × 15 cm, and avoid fine detail. Below are 20 ideas that suit a first, second and third print, and what makes each one easy.

What makes a design easy to carve

• Big shapes, few lines. Large areas of black and white print cleanly. Very thin lines break or fill with ink.
• A clear outline. If you can recognise the subject as a silhouette, it works as a lino print.
• No grey. Lino prints are ink or paper. Show shade with lines or dots, or leave it out.
• Lines at least 1–2 mm wide. Thinner raised lines can snap off the block.
• Mirror the text. The print is reversed, so letters must be backwards on the block.

TipBefore you carve, colour your drawing in with a black marker. Every black area stays on the block and prints. Every white area is carved away. If the drawing reads well in pure black and white, it will print well.

Ideas for your first print

One colour, one block, about an evening of work.

1. A single leaf. Monstera, fig or oak. Carve the veins as white lines.
2. A cactus in a pot. Simple shapes with small spines as short cuts.
3. A fish. Scales are quick U-gouge cuts in rows.
4. A house or your front door. Straight lines are easy to cut with a V-gouge.
5. A mushroom. A round cap with white spots.
6. A teapot or mug. Strong outline, little detail.
7. A moon and stars. A solid circle and a few small shapes.
8. Your initial. One bold letter, carved backwards.

Ideas for your second and third print

Add texture and a little more detail once you know how the cutters feel.

1. Your pet as a silhouette. Cats and dogs are easy to recognise from the outline alone.
2. A bird on a branch. Use short cuts for feathers.
3. Waves. Repeating curved lines, a classic lino texture.
4. A mountain range. Layers of peaks, with lines for snow and shadow.
5. A bicycle. Thin frame lines: a good test of control.
6. A plant in a window. Straight frame lines plus soft leaf shapes.
7. A local landmark. A bridge, a tower or a shop front you know.
8. An octopus or a jellyfish. Curves and patterns that look great printed.

Your first two-colour print

Two colours need two blocks (or the reduction method on one block). Keep the second colour simple.

1. A lemon or an orange. Block 1 prints the yellow shape. Block 2 prints the dark outline and the texture.
2. A red apple. Red first, then black lines on top.
3. A sunset. A warm colour for the sky, then dark hills.
4. A goldfish in a bowl. Orange fish, then a dark bowl and water lines.

Print the lighter colour first and the darker colour last. See the full method in How to make a multi-colour lino print.

Start from a photo

Most people want to print something they love: a pet, a person or a place. A photo has thousands of tones, so it must be simplified into a few bold areas first. You can trace it by hand, or use the free PULPO! tool: it turns any photo into a plate for each colour, with registration marks so the colours line up. Download the plates and carve, or order the design printed.

Questions