Every time I run a workshop people ask about multicoloured prints. There are many ways of making these and here are some of the methods that I have used.
A multiplate print - here you create more than one lino plate and place them in the same place on the same piece of paper to make the print. To ensure a neat purposeful finish they need to be registered exactly in the same place.
Here is one of my sister's multiblock prints 'The Life & Times of the Bowhead Whale' (268 Years) You can see more of Kate's work here
A reduction print - here you cut away a layer of lino for each different colour. This means that at the end of the session you have very little lino left and therefore can not reprint this image again. Again, these need to be registered in the same place each time.
A colour roll - this method blends colours on the same roller , usually to create a gradient of colour on a single block. You can get clever with this though and include it in either of the two methods above too to increase colour options.
A jigsaw print - as it sounds; pieces of lino are inked seperately and jigsawed together before printing. It's not my forte as it involves being neat and tidy, so here's Holly from Handprinted showing you how it's done.
Paint - creating a single colour print and, once dry, painting in the colour. This image below is from Gail Kellet who uses acrylics .
Chine Colle - adding thin paper to the lino which then adheres to the paper you are printing on. It's very fiddly! You have thin paper with glue on which you have to place glue side up to stick to the paper. Kind of like collaging as you print.
So that's the basics. Fire away if you have any questions. Happy printing!