You can use an image printed out on a piece
of paper or a shape out of wood, or chipboard like I used this heart. I put one linoleum nail in at the point in the top of the heart so I knew where I was beginning to put my nails in.
Measure and use an awl or an ice pick to mark where you will put your nails, each half inch. These indentations will make it easier to nail in your linoleum nails.