What to do when you gouge too much of your Lino

Oops - What to do when you gouge too much of your Lino

We all know that mistakes happen and that is true of Lino carving too. Every now and then I get over zealous or keep going when I know I’m too tired and - uh oh - I make a mistake. Once or twice it has resulted in me taking a chunk out of my finger (ouch) but more often than not it ends up with me taking a chunk out of the lino - annoying.

Not long ago, I discovered a handy tip on Instagram. I can’t remember who posted it but I am eternally grateful. It involves Polyfiller! I thought it sounded a bit bonkers to begin with but I had made a mistake with a lino block and, however small the nick was, it ruined the block. Having spent a long time carving up to this point, I was devastated. But then I remembered the tip. Want to know what it is?

I filled the gap with Polyfiller (not a sponsored mention) and sat back. It looked horrendous but the block was ruined anyway. Late, when it had dried, I sanded it down and recurved it. Magic! It looked good but I needed to test it.

I am happy to report that the print registered beautifully and I had managed to rescue the block. Phew!

So if you accidentally remove some lino that you shouldn’t then give this tip a try and feel free to comment below to let me know how it went.