[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest               Saturday, 18 July 1998       Volume 04 : Number 217

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 23:13:29 +0900
Subject: [Baren 1180] Who is Baren? 

A number of you have made requests for some kind of 'Gallery', where
people would be able to get some idea of just what sort of prints
[Baren] people are making.

I had sort of thought this was covered with that section in the
Encyclopedia ... 'Printmakers on the Web', but I guess not.  Some of
those people are not in [Baren], and some [Baren] members do not have
web sites.

So OK, here is a trial page.  

http://www.woodblock.com/forum/who.html

This is not linked in yet, but would eventually be linked from the
[Baren] home page.  At the moment, there is only one person in there ...
guess who ...   As others are included, the colour patches will increase ...

I wanted to do it in some way that made no distinction between the
'pros' and 'newbies' in the group.  And no words.  Simply the images are
to speak for themselves.  If you think this idea doesn't work, let me
know, and I'll come up with something else ...

I won't put anyone in without their permission, so anyone who wishes to
be included please let me know (off list ...).  Also let me know which
images you wish to be used (up to three per person), and I will scoop
them off your web site, or scan them from prints that I already have
here, or will scan them from prints or photos you send me ...

Dave B.

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From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi <jy6@columbia.edu>
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 11:51:57 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1181] Variability: a curse and a blessing! 

In response to Dave's one-point lesson: Doesn't the paper tend to swell
more than the wood? I print smaller editions, say 10 to 20 at a time, so my
situation may be a bit different. I know smaller blocks will cause less of
a problem than larger ones, but will shina plywood swell less than solid
cherry?

In my own printing I find that the paper swelling is my bigger problem.
Which I address (not truly solve, though) by buying realy good Japanese
paper, and keeping it evenly moist under plastic, stacking damp parts of
the print over dry parts of the earllier proof. The most difficult moment
is when I have to dry the paper for fear of mold when I am only half
through printing. ( If I am doing 10 colors and have only printed 5, but
then can't continue for a few days.)

And as to variablity, it is the great thing about woodcuts in general: they
can be as crude as the German Expressionists or as sophistocated as
Ukioy-e. What a great medium!

Thank you, Richard for your historical perspective, I think all of us here
in the US (and parts north, eh!!) feel quite distanced from it all....we
know Ukiyo-e prints, but not how hanga has evolved since then. It's great
to hear from Japanese members! (how can Hideshi print with acrylic???)

I also appreciated all the suggestions for finding exhibitions...Baren is a
great way to share info about these opportunities. Thank you!

April Vollmer

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From: steiner <steiner@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp>
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 01:01:06 +0900
Subject: [Baren 1182] pigments, please 

from Richard Steiner, Kyoto

A lot of talk now about inks and pigments on BAREN.  This is excellent.
 Here in Japan, we all (?) use water-based pigments. (Inks, am I wrong,
refer to oil-based colors?). Traditionally, as Dave will confirm, these
have been mineral colors, the same ones used in Nihon-ga painting,
Japanese style watercolor paintings.  Perhaps, originally they were
actual minerals, but today they are also chemically prepared colors. 
And they are exciting colors indeed.  Talk about richness, vibrancy,
depth, subtleties!  You also have to talk about expense, since they are
costly if you buy them already in prepared tube form.  If you want to
buy them in powdered form, the finer the grind, the more you will have
to spend; ergo, the rougher the nuggets you take home to grind in your
mortar with your pestle, the less money will leave your pocket.  As for
myself, I have used them, of course.  But I greatly prefer the Holbein
or Turner pigments.   There are endless colors available, they mix
extremely easily, are reasonably fast (depending on the color), and
they wash off clothing fairly well.  I have a friend here in Japan,
another woodblock printmaker who comes into the art and craft from a
solid engineering background.  Jim Ulrich is his name.  He spent years
studying inks and pigments, going to the factories and talking with
their engineers.  At last, he came up with a pigment that is
inexpensive, water-based, as rich as the minerals and probably fast.
The beauty of it is that you do not need to moisten the paper before
printing at all!  Jim is not a member of BAREN, alas.  However, he
loves to discuss his findings, which are ample.  His e-mail address is:
jimu@unspoken.com. I am also interested in the product
that GREEN DROP INK Co. mentioned yesterday.  If it becomes available
here in Japan, I am sure there is a market for it.  Holbein once gave
me an assortment of experimental pigments for hanga. I used them for
one job, and found them fairly easy to handle, but you needed to get
used to their unique characteristics before being really comfortable
with them.  As far as I know, Holbein never went commercial with them,
however.  What say, GREEN DROP?

Matt: as a matter of fact, another printmaker here in
Kyoto, Michael Doerrer (German), and I are planning on writing a book
which deals with the history of woodblock printmaking on a world scale.
 However, for practice (and feedback) your suggestion to submit pieces
to 'Pedia is excellent. Thank you.  I will begin after summer
vacation.

From the heart: OK, Matt, perhaps what I meant was that
there is more "art" in the "homemade" prints by the independents than
could be found in the Ukiyo-e pieces. Craft? Oh, yes, nothing comes
close to Ukiyo-e and New U. in that department, but not art (Oh Lord,
have I committed suicide right here on BAREN? I'll be stoned for
this). "From the heart" refers to the undeniably personal
nature of so much of the independents' work.  Munakata was almost as
skilled as the Ukiyo-e men (look at his very early prints) but when he
got the craft out of the way ands started to do Munakata prints, we get
a richness and excitement and intimacy not to be found in the other,
including the New Ukiyo-e. Looking at a Munakata, we are
also looking at his emotions and almost religious feelings about the
subject.  This reaction does not arise when we view a Hasui or Yoshida.
 Skill of carving and printing, yes, but where are the artists  to be
found in their work?  STOP STOP!  The very last thing BAREN needs to
get into is a discussion about what is art.  So, let me end with the
usual disclaimer: my thinking solely; put the knives away and write me
off as a nut, already.  There is, by the way, a sort of Onchi Kochiro
revival going on in Japan now.  One can find several books on the
(great) man.  He "took" one of my students recently, in that she is
quite influence by him.  Well, better Onchi than Steiner, some would
say.

Hideshi: so, you are not of that Yoshida family, but
rather a "student" of Kurosaki.  You might like to know that he has
just (last week) come out with a fine, soft cover book on basic
woodblock printmaking, including some little history, some pages on
woods and papers and knives and stones and brushes and, what?, inks and
pigments!  I have the very first copy, autographed, no less.  It is
richly illustrated in all color photos, costs \2500 and only in
japanese.

Gary: the Jim Ulrich I mentioned above uses a computer
extensively for his print preparations.  Recently he acquired a Mac G3,
a mighty tool for doing anything.  You might e-mail him and ask for
details on his programs, etc.  He will gladly give you information. 
Mention my name as your source, please.

Roger: for God's sake, why are you using an acrylic for
woodblock printmaking?? Desist immediately!  "Dries out too fast", you
say?  Of course, that is was it was meant and designed to do, and just
the attribute woodblock printmakers cannot live with.  Switch to simple
childrens' watercolors if you must (they work quite well, by the way)
or any other water-based pigment. Flee from acrylics.  Regarding paste:
here is how I was taught to mix it, and how I teach:  the paste can be
any starch material, like baking flour.  Buying it already in a paste
condition, naturally, is better.  Squeeze out a palmful into a
tupperware type container that has a wide mouth and not too deep.  (It
must have a cover that fits air tight.)  With a spoon or narrow wooden
spatula, first stir the stuff for a few minutes to "break" its will to
resist (or until rather smooth).  Pour a little hot water on, and stir
more until smooth.  Pour a little more hot water, stir, and continue
this until the point where, when you lift a bit up with the spoon from
the container and hold it still, the paste blops off slowly, yet with
an air of determination.  If you have a hand held water sprayer, the
mixing is easier because the water is added as a fine mist, thereby
becoming more readily absorbed by the paste.

You have already moistened your block.  First, put some paste on the
areas to be printed, not on the areas you've cut out.  If you are
printing large printing spaces (as opposed to lines or dots) use a bit
more paste for the first two or three prints, then reduce the amount. 
After putting on the paste, put some of the pigment on and mix the two
with your brush.  Spread this mixture well and evenly!  It must not be
thick anywhere.  Remember, if you've put on too little color, you can
easily re-ink the block and print a second time, or a third time.
Hiratsuka Un'ichi always printed his blacks 6 times.  What I have
described above is the basic procedure.  A little practice and you will
get it.  As for moistening the paper, using that water sprayer, evenly
but lightly moisten the paper, brushing the mist over the paper with a
wide brush (called mizu-bake in japanese, water brush).  You have
already moistened the newsprint, or the corrugated cardboard or the
bath towels, whatever method you have learned.  Ideally, let the batch
sit over night, tho it isn't necessary for short runs or test printing.
 This is the time tested way, the simplest way and the easiest way. 
You do know about kento, the keying or registration marks on the
boards, don't you?  Dave has mentioned them, I believe.  If not, let's
get into that next time.  Good luck, Roger.

Richard Steiner, Kyoto

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@pantek.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 12:08:45 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1183] Re: Baren Digest V4 #216 

Baren,

Roger, I know what you're going through.  It happened to me too.
It's very difficult to get started in waterbased pigment with rice
paste.  I have given up for a while, but intend to try again in Autumn.
I'm sure with practice we'll get there.  Without a teacher we have
to do it the hard way.  I know what you mean about wasting paper.
Matt can tell you about Barrier paper and I'm going to try that next
for the proofs, etc.  I don't have the pigments yet either and will have
to sell a couple more oil-based ink woodblock prints to afford my new
interest in hanga.  I need a baren too.  I tried a wooden object that 
didn't do the job too well.  My second attempt was better than my 
first, Roger.  I do have hope.

Gayle Wohlken

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From: Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 17:55:58 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1184] Art Contest Information 

Hideshi,

It's nice to hear someone else out there is using a computer.  I wish mine
were like an assistant.  I could give it instructions and come back after
lunch to find the job done.  It is really more like an electronic media, as
paint, brushes, palette knives, pens and such.  They are tools we use to
develop the image we are expressing, as is the computer.  If you can get
yours to act as an assistant, I may need to take a computer course from
you!  

In what ways do you use yours?  What software programs have you found
useful?  I have Painter 3, Paint Shop Pro, and PhotoStyler, though I use
PhotoStyler most often as it seems to have the features I need in a
relatively easy format to use.

Gary Luedtke

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 07:47:33 +0900
Subject: [Baren 1185] Swelling ... 

April wrote:
> Doesn't the paper tend to swell more than the wood? 

Some papers swell a lot more than others.  I printed some posters for a
local choral group a few years ago, and on an inexpensive torinoko
paper, I got expansion of more than a centimetre over a width of 41
centimetres.  I was using plywood blocks, which didn't expand at all, I
think.  So yes, paper _can_ be more of a problem than the wood.

But in my more typical work, with natural cherry blocks, and a very high
quality 'hosho' paper, it is usually the other way around.  The paper
_does_ still change dimension with changes in moisture content, but I've
finally developed enough experience to be able to sense the proper
moisture with my fingers, and thus am able to keep it generally under
control.

Dave B.

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 15:04:45 +0900
Subject: [Baren 1186] One-point lesson ... 

Here is this week's 'One-point' lesson (a 'conversation' between printer
Keizaburo Matsuzaki and David Bull)

********** ********** **********

(#14):  Avoiding brush lines in the impression ...

Mr. Keizaburo Matsuzaki was visiting my workroom one day, and gave
me some pointers on printing. One of the things we discussed was
how to avoid 'lines' from the brush showing up in the colour. I'll
try and recreate part of the conversation as well as I can ...

As the scene opens, I'm sitting at my printing bench, trying yet
another sample. All the previous tries have come out with visible
lines ...

KM:  Let's try it again, and this time after brushing out the pigment,
try and make those final few strokes as 'light' as possible. Tip
up the brush so that just the very edge of it comes into contact
with the wood.

DB:  Ok ... (Swish ... swish ... followed by those final brush strokes ...)

KM:  No! No! I can hear those final strokes quite clearly. They are
still too strong. You are going to end up with lines in the colour.

DB:  (Tries again ...)

KM:  I can _still_ hear it! If you can _hear_ the strokes, you're using too
much pressure!

DB:  (Tries again ...)

KM:  There! I couldn't hear anything!

DB:  Aha! I fooled you! I just _pretended_ to make those final strokes; I
don't think the brush actually touched the wood at all!

KM:  Well _finally_ you get the idea! Quick, put the paper on and make
the impression.

DB:  (Prints the impression, and then turns it over to show ... perfectly 
smooth colour.)

KM:  (Smiles ...)

DB:  ... ... ...

********** ********** **********

Next week,  'Digging ditches in stone ...'

These 'One-point' lessons are being collected into a section in the
[Baren] Encyclopedia of Woodblock Printmaking.
http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/updates.html

Contributions from experienced printmakers for future 'One-pointers' 
are eagerly solicited.

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End of Baren Digest V4 #217
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