Illustrator and printmaker Dan Howden has a passion for linocut. Specializing in highly reductive and detailed linocut (a process for making multi-layer prints, in which each color layer is taken from the same block), this time-consuming approach earned Howden the Anthony Dawson Young Printmaker of the Year award in 2016.
Based in Manchester, Howden has first discovered lino in 2011, whilst in York College, and has since spent his BA and MA Degrees in Visual Communication. “I graduated from Liverpool John Moores in July studying Graphic Design & Illustration,” he shared with Medium. “My work comprises almost entirely of linocut and therefore I consider myself a printmaker, first and foremost.”
According to Howden, it was only during his second year of University, in 2013, that he began to feel confident using this process, which requires much precision and consists of cutting the linoleum into a jigsaw-like state, before piecing it back together to form an image. “Whilst at college, I taught myself how to etch and print, and because of this, my technique is fairly unorthodox,” he notes.
These days, Howden works as a freelance illustrator, with notable clients like Medium, Dr. Martens, Intern Magazine, and Umbrella Magazine. And though some time has passed since he first came into contact with lino, Howden admits his process has hardly changed since these early days. “The equipment I use is, in terms of printmaking, inexpensive, and it’s because of this, that I strongly believe materials aren’t the most important aspect of the process,” he says. “The idea and, even more importantly, the execution of that idea is.”
According to Howden, the only downside to his process is that the linoleum is ultimately destroyed by the end of it, “so editions tend to be minimal and precious. Ensuring I produce sufficient quantities of editions has been the bane of my process for the past year since I’ve become more commercially inclined.”
His unique work is worth taking note of. Scroll down to see some recent highlights from his Instagram.
