One of the most common beginner mistakes in this colorful hobby: forgetting to mirror your drawing. Especially when drawing directly on the linoleum block, it happens to almost everyone — myself included! 😄
It becomes especially critical if you include text in your design. Your print may become unusable if you realize the mistake only after printing — and that’s frustrating.

Mistakes are a great way to learn — and usually, you only make them once. If you want to skip this one, my course shows step by step how to approach a drawing for linocut. You can work analog or digitally, for example on an iPad Pro.
Drawing directly on the linoleum block may work for some. But if you plan to print multiple layers, it helps to plan your design carefully in advance.

For me, it works best to start with a small sketch in a notebook. This helps set the composition and gives a clearer idea of how the final print will look. I often gather inspiration from Pinterest — freehand drawing rarely works if you want a balanced, printable motif. If you want my help to get started with linocut printing right away, then take a look at my online course for beginners in linocut printing.