My mom bought me a linoleum block set when I was young...far too young to be carving linoleum blocks. I recall getting the kit down and using it long enough to run a gouge into my thumb and bleed all over myself. It would go back up on the shelf long enough for me to forget how bad it hurt and I would try it again. I wasn't a very fast learner. I'll spare you a similar story with my wood burning set. Sometimes I wonder whether she was trying to encourage my artistic abilities or scar me for life.
I forgot how bad it hurts so I got the kit back out last week. This time I'm remembering to cut away from myself. I have found several sites on-line that show how to print linocuts with a letterpress. I'm looking forward to trying it out.
More to come...