[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Saturday, 20 February 1999 Volume 06 : Number 453 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 09:45:58 -0500 Subject: [Baren 3111] Re: Baren Digest V6 #452 Greg wrote: > But never print the woodblock at the same time as the type. The letterpress > people know this, but... So give us a rundown on the procedure. I have a Vandercook Proofing Press in my basement (which I had said would be used for the first time doing a colophon for the exchange, then fate changed things and I got back too late from Tennessee to be involved in the exchange). Anyway, I need to know how to use this press. It's scaring me, but I need to get it used. I want to. I would like to do some books maybe. I just feel very stupid right now. Do woodblock prints dry okay? They don't get ink on opposing pages? The man who donated this press kind of indicated the woodblock prints caused him a problem when he did a poetry book. He said the ink didn't dry well and smeared the pages. Gayle Wohlken ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 00:03:55 +0900 Subject: [Baren 3112] Call for advice ... This message came in this evening. I'll write to him (her?) myself, but perhaps some of you may also have advice for him? (He's not on [Baren] so write directly ...) *** start message *** > Do you Know how can I teach Basic printmaking to children. > I don't have press and really I don't much money but I > want to teach them. Can you help me? > I'm a peruvian printmaker and I have experience in teaching > children and I want to do it well. > Muchas gracias!! > > Maximo Antezana Vargas. maximo *** end message *** Dave ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:51:49 -0800 Subject: [Baren 3113] Re: Baren Digest V6 #452 Small victories: I put oil of cloves in my rice paste and it's still good after two weeks in the frig. Smells good too. http://users.lanminds.com/~jeaneger ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 11:47:10 -0600 Subject: [Baren 3114] Re: Where are we going ? ... Where is BA5 going ?......... I think david asked that question.......I am enjoying the give & take and the get-to-know the members postings. Now I know more about each one of you and it helps to put a "face" behind the postings. All the new members are making great contributions....Greg, Bea, Maria, Jacob.....you guys are lot of fun (did I leave anyone out ?). I feel the BAREN proper forum has been somewhat neglected lately....not as many postings. Some of the BA5 stuff really belongs overthere....things like talk about presses, PanAM exhibition, and other printmaking side-issues. Talk about pets, music, birthdates and funny stories....of course belong in BA5... Just my thoughts... JULIO {:-) ------------------------------ From: "John/Michelle Morrell" Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 09:58:40 -0900 Subject: [Baren 3115] Barens vs. Presses Not to beat the subject to death, but aside from arthritis, there are the wonders of carpal tunnel syndrome, or in my case, acromial tunnel syndrome, that makes presses necessary. I have not used a baren for at least eight years. I have friends with really nice presses, but I use the little Dick Blick 36 x 14 bed press, which is adequate for my needs. Sometimes it serves as a slab roller as well. I used to do plank wood and found the very narrow bed a miserable constraint, but since have switched to wood engraving and find smaller blocks are probably more suitable. Honestly however, if I had my druthers, I would have a nice wide press and go back to plank wood. Never much liked the feel of plywood, so it wouldn't have to be a yard wide--2 feet would probably be fine. For years I've had a couple Japanese block prints my parents bought when I was a child in occupied Japan (I am deeply entrenched in middle age!). A friend from Gustavus, Alaska, who uses the Japanese technique and a press did not believe they were woodcuts because they were so extraordinarily precise. I opened the frames up to show her, and she could feel the impress (the printer must have been a sumi wrestler or similer weight individual!). We decided at the time that the work had to have been printed with a vise-type press, never believing a person could do that. If the paper were damp to make the impress, the water based ink surely would bleed! I remain in the dark as to the technique--doesn't water-based ink bleed on damp paper? By the way, I am a new person, live in Sitka on an island in Alaska, and have been ghosting for a few weeks. It was a relief to see someone else used a press! Michelle Morrell jmorrell@ptialaska.net ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 13:57:27 -0600 Subject: [Baren 3116] Re: Barens vs. Presses Hi Michelle, welcome to Baren...........if you have been lurking then you know all the regulars....nice to have you aboard. I'll take a crack at your question to give you a beginners point of view. YES, if the paper is too wet, the colors will indeed bleed thru as I found out during my first attempts at water-hanga while doing my exhange print. But if you achieve a certain right softness in the paper, were you can feel the moisture but yet not have the paper "wet"...then it's a beautiful thing. The best way I can describe it is that the paper feels moist & cold to the touch against my cheek, but not soaked. This level of softness has tremendous impact on how the pigments are absorbed into the paper...the thickness of the paper used also plays a part on those baren marks you mentioned. I used a medium paper on which the pigments traveled all the way to the back side of the print.. I know I did not press toooo hard with my baren, but then again maybe I did! I am sure others will want to add to this or perhaps correct my reply... welcome to Baren JULIO {:-) ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 16:43:16 -0600 Subject: [Baren 3117] Re: Barens vs. Presses Hi Michele, again..... forgot to mention earlier that the Baren encyclopedia has a great source of articles referring to this very topic of preparing the paper and the technique of wetting/softening your paper for printing. Follow the links in Dave's site and select the appropriate articles. Also I venture to say that although no poll has been taken, I bet at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the present members of Baren are currently using presses.....or have one nearby... Question for those using barens..... When do YOU change your baren cover ? I know some of you do the re-cover yourselves.....but... when do you decide that the baren is in need ? The reason I mention this is that about the time I had started to do my exchange edition I noticed a long rip (3/4" ) on my baren cover. Afraid to start a large project (for me !) with a torned baren I rushed to Aiko's to have it recover. The guy there told me that it still had plenty of life in it, and that usually printmakers did not bring their barens in until the thing was shredded to pieces.......I was hesitant still and bought another baren to take home as a spare. They charge $11 for a student level baren and $5 to replace the cover on your old one. I have a picture of my Aiko's baren on my website at : http://www.skokienet.org/skyouth/jcrstuff/jrprntin.html...... it is quite adequate for my needs and skill level. The new one I bought did fine during the exchange edition (about 40 proofs, plus the 33 actual prints made (eight blocks each with several double impressions)). It is now in sad shape with several rips and signs of wear & tear. I did the oiling and the moving around of the inside coil as described in Baren.... How often do you change your cover ? Thanks.... JULIO {:-) ------------------------------ From: Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 21:28:41 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Baren 3118] Re: Barens vs. Presses Welcome, Michelle. I'm sure you'll find Baren --especially the archives--a wealth of great information. I'm often amazed at how little if at all bleeding occurs with water based pigments. It's sometimes a chore to get it to bleed in the spots you want. (By the way, I lived in the Aleutians for 28 years; so, a double welcome!) Ray (in Vermont) ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 17:34:10 -1000 Subject: [Baren 3119] Re: Barens vs. Presses Michelle Morrell wrote: > (the printer must have been a sumi wrestler or similer weight individual!). I like that!, a sumi wrestler! Reminds me of the couple of semesters of Chinese calligraphy I took years ago, sumi wrestling! Jack Reisland ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 12:44:40 +0900 Subject: [Baren 3120] Skin replacement, etc. The (new) Michelle wrote: > We decided at the time that the work had to have been printed with a > vise-type press, never believing a person could do that. > If the paper were damp to make the impress, the water based ink > surely would bleed! I remain in the dark as to the technique-- > doesn't water-based ink bleed on damp paper? In a word, no. But as Julio mentioned, 'damp' is a misleading word - the purpose of the moisture in the paper is to make it _soft_, not to make it wet. Once the balance is just right, you can drive a truck over the back of the sheet, and neither will the paper tear, nor will the pigment (not 'ink') smear. *** The (old) Julio asked: >The reason I mention this is that about the time I had >started to do my exchange edition I noticed a long rip >(3/4" ) on my baren cover. Afraid to start a large project >(for me !) with a torn baren I rushed to Aiko's to have >it recover. The guy there told me that it still had plenty >of life in it, and that usually printmakers did not bring >their barens in until the thing was shredded to pieces....... Please allow me to disagree with him ... The baren skin gets changed as soon as any kind of split or worn area appears in it. Smooth and deep colour can only be produced with a good tight firm skin. The idea that we would continue until it was shredded is inconceivable. The fact that this guy said 'printmakers did not bring their barens _in_ ...' tips us off to what is happening here. It is part of a printmaker's job to recover his own baren, just as it is part of a carver's job to sharpen his own knives. It is a difficult frustrating difficult awkward difficult and frustrating job. And did I mention difficult? >The new one I bought did fine during the exchange edition >(about 40 proofs, plus the 33 actual prints made (eight blocks >each with several double impressions)). It is now in sad shape >with several rips and signs of wear & tear. This sounds about right - maybe a little early. But if you didn't have it tied quite tightly at the beginning, it will wear out a lot faster. And it perhaps wouldn't be common for someone to do all the impressions in any particular print with the same baren. Some blocks would need more power, some would need less, so different barens would come into play ... >How often do you change your cover ? In my early days, as seldom as possible. I too, used my single baren until it was absolutely shredded. I dreaded changing it. Over the years, I've got a little bit smarter, and a whole lot more experienced, and now change the skin whenever it needs it - in other words, as soon as it gets to the point where it affects the work. Sometimes even as much as a couple of times a day (although that is rare). *** Julio also talked about 'After Five': > I feel the BAREN proper forum has been somewhat neglected lately....not as many > postings. Some of the BA5 stuff really belongs over here....things like talk > about presses, PanAM exhibition, and other printmaking side-issues. Talk about > pets, music, birthdates and funny stories....of course belong in BA5... I think Julio, that it is working very well indeed. Yes of course, the After Five people talk about printmaking issues sometimes, just as they would in real life in the bar after the convention sessions were over. But I don't think that we have to worry that people are missing things. Everybody can't catch everything. And Ray and I have plans to ensure that nothing 'important' is lost. For example, important points from that discussion now taking place over in the bar about supply/demand issues and how they affect print pricing, will probably be extracted and posted here on the main forum later on. So don't worry about the volume of postings on [Baren]. As we've seen during the past year and a half, it gets quiet - it gets noisy. And I rather suspect that the day after James sends out the exchange boxes (next week?), it's going to get noisy for a while! Dave ------------------------------ From: "Gregory D. Valentine" Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 21:22:17 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 3121] Hello Michelle-- first, its always nice to have a new voice. I once wanted to live in Sitka; couldn't convince the rest of the family though. How is it? And isn't there a volcano just offshore? Someone deeper into this might explain better, but I believe it's the sizing that keeps the pigment from bleeding. --GV ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V6 #453 ***************************