Anna Hermsdorf, an illustrator based in Aachen, Germany, has her own sense of style. She describes her style as “whimsical and girlish designs” that tell stories. She likes using just a few colors at a time and especially likes pastel colors.
That is probably why she started creating linoleum prints. Lino prints, also known as linocuts, are huge stamps that are hand-craved, covered in ink and then pressed onto paper. It’s a pretty old technique that’s been around for centuries, but it’s now brought back to life by young artists such as Anna, who want to explore new mediums and techniques.
Lino printing is a challenging process that requires a lot of expertise. There are no ways to correct mistakes while carving out the stamp, and it’s all done in reverse, as the stamp is a mirror image of the final print. But it’s also fun: it’s low tech and slow-paced, which can be calming, the end result is always a surprise, and once the stamp is done, you can make as many prints as you want, experimenting with different color combinations.
Anna has developed her own style of lino printing and shares her art and her work process over on her IG account. Just browsing her grid is enough to brighten up anybody’s day.
