Speedball Speedy-Carve Pink Carving Block – 6 × 12 in

A long format for borders and repeating marks

The 6 × 12 inch Speedball Speedy-Carve block is a soft pink carving surface for detailed stamps and relief printing. The 6×12 inch rectangle suits an elongated illustration, a decorative border or a group of smaller stamps planned on one surface. Its long edge gives you space to explore how a motif changes as it repeats.

Plan the image before carving

Sketch a strip design on scrap paper and mark where each repeat begins and ends. A vine, row of buildings or sequence of geometric shapes can use the length deliberately. You can also lay out separate motifs with a gap between them, leaving enough surrounding material to handle each piece if you later divide the block.

Transfer your drawing and check the marks

Draw with a soft pencil on paper, place the drawing pencil-side down on the block and hold it steady while rubbing the reverse. Reinforce faint lines with pencil. Check lettering and image orientation before carving. The raised areas carry ink; remove the spaces that should remain blank. Support the block on a stable work surface and work in controlled cuts.

Ink, proof and refine

Use water-soluble or oil-based block-printing ink and follow its directions for your chosen paper or fabric. Make a proof impression before starting a batch. Before carving a border, print a paper mock-up at the intended length. It helps you decide whether the spacing works on the bag, card or sheet you plan to decorate. Clean the finished block according to the ink maker’s instructions and let it dry before storage.

Material, size and contents

Supplied as one pink, latex-free carving block containing PVC. Nominal size: 6 × 12 inches, approximately 152.4 × 304.8 mm. Metric figures are conversions of the stated inch size. Tools, ink and paper are purchased separately. Speedball specifies hand carving and excludes use with laser cutters.

Helpful guides

Inking your linocut block · Cleaning after lino printing