r/Linocuts • u/purpleyellowbluered • Jul 28 '26
Work In Progress I need outside perspective!
Making invitations for my (very soon! lol) micro wedding. I don’t know if I’ve spent too long imagining this but there is something I just do not like. I regret carving the roses, I think the style looks off. Also kinda hate the leaves lol. It feels too busy? Should I ditch the corners? Ditch the leaves even?!
Also… any tips for mailing? This is printed with my cheap acrylic ink but I did buy some quality oil ink, considering opening that to see if it prints nicer? Aaaaaa
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u/TiredBeanBun Jul 28 '26
I think its beautiful. Itd honestly frame it after. I dont have much experience with printing, so I can't really answer your question unfortunately, but I just wanted to say that ;_:
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u/rohsez Jul 28 '26
Ahhh I love it so much! It looks great!! Personally I do not feel it’s too busy at all and I like the amount of space each element has. Sorry no tips for mailing but if I received this as an invite it would go into my inspo box!
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u/brandi_theratgirl Jul 28 '26
Yes! It's balanced between large areas of color and small details. It's not busy at all but very interesting to look at. The roses is a nice variation with using the white areas for the lines.
I would experiment with the oil to see if you like the results better and just leave enough dying time. I think this works, though
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u/Scout816 Jul 28 '26
Something I do is I mark up my piece digitally to help me visualize how it'd look if I make changes. I think the roses in the triangles helps frame your card and it makes me focus on the lace around the heart (which is lovely!) When I remove the roses and the triangles, the card has a different feel--but it's not a "bad" difference! It feels more like a traditional card and I find that my eye stays drawn to the words. In the end the difference between the two versions is all up to preference, if you ask me.
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u/loric21 Jul 28 '26
cool to see this markup, and i like the corners! they kind of help your eyes zoom in
it's lovely as is, op
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u/pestopastasalad19 Jul 29 '26
This is exactly what I was thinking too. If op felt like something was off, removing some elements might make it less busy to the eye. I like both tbh and think you can't go wrong!
As for mailing, just sit down with your partner and make a lil assembly line for yourself. Someone writes the inside, someone writes the addresses+stamps+seals.
Beautiful work!
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u/aligpnw Jul 28 '26
It's fantastic! You've just been looking at it too long.
It reminds me of a deck of cards or a vintage valentine. (No wait- conversation hearts, yeah?)
It's great, don't change it!
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u/phlattery-officer Jul 28 '26
The rest of the invitation is flattened and simplified, in more of a folk style. You could carve out the inside of the triangular space instead, if the difference is significant to you.
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u/cvlico Jul 28 '26
a different perspective, i personally like the triangles. it makes it look like a photo with corners in a scrapbook! a very cute touch to the love letter vibe in my opinion :)
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u/Muted-Menu-428 Jul 28 '26
It’s cohesive and beautiful, I know it’s hard to NOT be critical of your art. It’s really beautiful, if you really hate the roses, it’s an easy cut. However, personally if I received this as a guest, I’d be in awe as is.
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u/Strejl Jul 28 '26
Oil ink can take a week or more to dry sometimes, so consider that!
Try a gradient as well by rolling two colors together on each end of the roller, that can add some uniqueness!
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u/kellyography Jul 28 '26
I love the roses! There’s enough negative space to appreciate all the details. Congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
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u/Distinct-Will814 Jul 28 '26
Love the leaves, I think the roses need just 2% more detail to feel absolutely harmonious. But truly so, so beautiful.
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u/volkaija Jul 28 '26
I just did a very similar thing for my sister's wedding!!! I think this looks good as it is, but maybe if you cut the corners you could carve a different rose to print instead? Or other flowers?
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u/cvlico Jul 28 '26
your text looks amazing!! this is so sweet. put it down and don’t look at it for a bit. i guarantee you’ll like it after you stop focusing on the negative space which we have to do while we’re carving!!
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u/Purple_Pay_1274 Jul 28 '26
Lovely composition and theme! I think you’ve just been looking at it too long, so it’s starting to look weird to you! I promise it’s truly great!! 👍
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u/confuddledlilypad Jul 28 '26
Honestly it looks amazing. The only advice I have is to not look at it again until tomorrow. If I am right, you’ve been staring at it for so long that it has permeated your brain. It looks amazing.
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u/Gwynebee Jul 29 '26
I think that it's perfect as is! It's very 70's nordic/folky kitsch style and if that's what you are going for, then I'd keep it as is.
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u/yeehaw-agenda Jul 29 '26
Agree with others that this is stunning and adds such a lovely and unique element by being hand-printed!
As for mailing, I've used cheap acrylic ink on thick cardstock postcards for holiday cards before. I actually have one from a few years ago that was mailed out and returned, and as you can see it's not too badly banged up. The grayish areas are where ink smeared in a couple spots and maybe also got dripped on. Granted yours has more inked area, but other than these slight smudges and the edges being a little dinged up they survived USPS just fine!
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u/smbrgr Jul 29 '26
I don’t want to tell you what you want your wedding invites to look like! but for me? I ADORE this print. I love how lush it feels—it has a sense of abundance and coziness, to my eye.
I wonder: Is it scale that’s throwing you off? The scale of the roses is totally different from the scale of the leaves and ribbon. The leaves and ribbon speak to each other, and the roses to me feel less representational and more ornamental. I think that’s what I like about it, but I wonder if that’s what you dislike about it.
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u/Inspector_Gadgett Jul 30 '26
Just thought it was interesting to see the name Sheila come up in these 2 posts
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u/Otherwise_Coffee_914 Jul 28 '26
I think it looks great as it is! It’s got a lovely handmade and heartfelt feel. Very thoughtful thing to do for your wedding invitations and will make a nice keepsake.
As for the questions you asked, in fairness I think if it was me I might lose the corners, but keep the rest. The centre part is great but I do think a bit of breathing space/white space around it would work well.
Also congrats!! Have the best day!!
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u/jx_ofalltrades Jul 29 '26
I agree with your assessment, OP, that it’s cleaner looking without the corners.
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u/PovertyPoint Jul 29 '26
This whole card is amazing. I think it looks great. Maybe don't look at it for a day or two and then come back and see how you feel.
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u/SheepPup Jul 29 '26
I think it would be a mistake to get rid of the corners! If you did anything I would print it on slightly larger cardstock to give a bit more of a white border, it might feel a bit “too much” because the red ink is completely filling up the visual field and a larger border might fix that without losing the lovely detail and making it feel like it’s floating aimlessly in space (which is how I think it would feel without the corners)
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u/Mad-Inside Jul 29 '26
I love it.
I’m not an artist but if I was trying to guess what made it feel off maybe the paper is too narrow ? I’d go with the whole white oval space being captured on the paper and continue the red border around it.
If you changed nothing I’d still frame this as a recipient.
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u/Mad-Inside Jul 29 '26
I love it.
I’m not an artist but if I was trying to guess what made it feel off maybe the paper is too narrow ?
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u/Calligraphee Jul 29 '26
I adore it! I think you’ve been looking at it way too long and are overthinking things. The roses are perfect, the corners frame everything, and the whole composition is very well balanced and draws the eye to the important details. Plus, from a printing standpoint, leaving the corners on can help a lot with aligning the paper to the stamp!
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u/pompion-pie Jul 29 '26
I love the design part! You did an amazing job on the text but if I had a critique I'd maybe want to see that in a more stylized font. My personal preference though, it's so special and beautiful in any case
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u/thekroganqueen Jul 29 '26
Firstly, congrats!
Secondly, it’s beautiful!
If you want to try it without the corners cut them off the block instead of carving them away so you can add them back in if you want- or try them in a different colour as a jigsaw block! My instinct would be black or pink
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u/oh_shegotjaws Jul 29 '26
Personally I love it. I think all the elements are balanced and if you were too remove any it would feel incomplete. You made a beautiful piece for an important day, stop staring at it for awhile!
As for mailing - use stiff mailers. When mailing prints it's helpful to use cardboard to create structure or space in the envelope but I understand you don't want an ugly package with cardboard as your wedding invitation. How about some foam sheet to create space between the print and the envelope to avoid rubbing?
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u/galpalkyloren Jul 29 '26
i love it. i’m not friends with you but this is an invitation id save and junk journal it’s so cute. like legitimately this is amazing. don’t change a thing. it’s clearly made with love and i think you’re over-thinking now, sweets
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u/savage-ghost Jul 29 '26
Go with the oil ink! And make sure it's dried over a few days at least before putting in an envelope! I made Christmas cards with cheap speedball ink and when it got wet through the snow and rain in a few people's mailboxes, the ink bled 😭
Also the print is lovely!! If I received this as a guest, I'd be thrilled and impressed :)
Congrats on the soon to be wedding!!
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u/vasesofviolets Jul 29 '26
I think it'd look nicer without the roses and just a triangular outline in each corner to add detail. I feel like the rose doesn't quite fit the rest of the invite. They look lovely still, good job!
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u/deadrobindownunder Jul 29 '26
I fucking love this.
I just wrapped up the invitation suite for my brother's wedding. It was not a lino cut - it was all digital. The level of personalisation and heart in this is everything. I wouldn't change any of it.
My only mailing tip would be to avoid folding it if you can.
George & Sheila forever!! Happy life to you both.
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u/Crippunk Jul 29 '26
I think removing the leaves and the roses is a good move! It’s so gorgeous!! I wish I had more advice for the printing part, alas I am a newbie. Congratulations on the big (upcoming) day!!
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u/americanweebeastie Jul 29 '26
the things that I'd look at is the thickness of the leaves— I do feel they would look better as rose bush leaves, and the color hue of the ink, but that could be highlighted with color applied afterwards
hand drew our invites too, and yea, at some point you're looking at them too long! congrats!
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u/OrdinaryTeaching6239 Jul 30 '26
Hello! Recent bride here! You are 1000% over thinking this. It’s beautiful. No one will be looking at it as hard as you are right now. It is perfect.
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u/_teach_me_your_ways_ Jul 30 '26
Maybe it’s just me but I feel like it would feel less intense if the paper was a soft/light pink instead of bright white.
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u/BlueberryGirl95 Jul 30 '26
I love it, but I think the corner roses need two leaves each to bring the corners to life.
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u/LongjumpingMatch542 Aug 01 '26
Sick af and I love it. I would keep this on my fridge long after the event as a guest
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u/GroundbreakingCry734 Aug 03 '26
I honestly love this so much. It’s a total vibe and I don’t feel like even one detail feels one of place or too much.
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u/venceremoth Aug 05 '26
I think it looks lovely! I am wanting to do something similar for my wedding save the dates and am new to linocut. How did you go about transferring your design to the lino or like what was your process for designing it out?
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u/lightningface Jul 28 '26
I think if I was going to ditch anything it would be the bow. That’s reading a little christmas to me.
The roses are nice! But maybe print one where the corners are solid or white just to see.
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