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

Baren Digest               Tuesday, 23 March 1999       Volume 06 : Number 500

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From: "Jean D Parus" <ltz797@dreamscape.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 08:29:46 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3696] Re: experimental transparencies

James wrote:
>For water-based, you might try any of the various Liquitex products.  A
>mixture of transparent gel medium and the extender (forget the exact
>name) that one adds to acrylic paints to keep them from drying too
>quickly might help.  Certainly these would give the pigment more 'body'.

Transparencies in acrylic? One site that is good to check for info on that
is the Golden Paints web page:
www.goldenpaints.com  I like them because they have complete explainations
of both pigments and extenders; they also have an e-mail address for the
technical department and they will get back to you very quickly with answers
to your questions. They are a relatively new company and yet have some
things "very right" about their Pigment to filler ratios etc. ... they also
have nice instructional pages, notes on Munsell .... good stuff!

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From: "Jean D Parus" <ltz797@dreamscape.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 09:01:10 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3697] Re: Contributions 

Your post about Munakata got me back in the swing of things ... I was
feeling a little discouraged, but am now just cutting away. Thanks Greg!

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@pantek.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 15:57:02 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3698] Re: Baren Digest V6 #499 

Dave, I was reading lessons in the Encyclopedia--especially about 
applying the pigment to the board and you talk about sizes
of brushes--using a large one to apply the pigment to keep
color steady.  Then I went to the section of what I thought 
would be a discourse on the brushes and found there is 
nothing yet.  I think it would be great if someone would 
write something about the brushes for us.  I looked at 
McClain's catalog, and I'm confused about what each 
brush is meant to do.  Also, how big is the big brush and
how many prints can come from a loaded big brush?

* * * *
Welcome to Michael.  I find your stone made woodcuts
extremely interesting.  

Welcome to the new Graham from New Zealand.  Not only me,
but I believe everyone here would like to see your prints.

Gayle Wohlken

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From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc@prodigy.net>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 16:21:11 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3699] Re: Baren Digest V6 #499

Dave
I found the best book on Japanese printmaking. Everyone seems to want to
find one and all they have to do is go to the ENCL.
It is inconvenient to always be referring to the computer for instructions,
so;  Last week I devoted many hours to printing out ALL of the information
that was included. I bound it in a nice notebook, complete with tabs for
subject matter and now I do not think that I need to find any book on how to
do "hanga" printing.
Now that it will be by my side while I experiment with the watercolors, it
will be so much easier.
Since I am still a real "book" person, I need the step by step directions
plastered right in front of me.
After viewing the watercolor prints in the Portfolio, they seemed to glow a
little differently than the oil based prints. Not that the oil based prints
were not beautiful, they were!

John;
I have had your neat cat print framed and hanging in my living room and I
have had such a great time studying the print. I love the way you printed
the gray patterns for the cat. Also, did you actually carve a separate block
for the cats pink ears and nose?  Do you have a cat and is this one yours?
I am enjoying your print.
Every month I will enjoy another one!

Welcome Graham H. and Michael. I am sure that you will learn to love this
"bunch" of great printmakers as much as I have!!!!

Jeanne

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 12:53:58 +0900
Subject: [Baren 3700] Brushes, Encyclopedia ... 

Jeanne wrote:
> ... I devoted many hours to printing out ALL of the information
> that was included. I bound it in a nice notebook, complete with tabs for
> subject matter and now I do not think that I need to find any book on how to
> do "hanga" printing.

It sure does make quite a pile doesn't it!  I had a visitor a while ago,
somebody who wanted to see how my work was done, and he brought with him
a book with all the Encyclopedia printed out.  I hadn't seen it this way
before, and was astonished at how much there was. It's hard to believe
that we really _are_ making this thing a reality.

Gayle wrote:
> Then I went to the section of what I thought 
> would be a discourse on the brushes and found there is 
> nothing yet.

Yes, sorry about this.  Some of the most basic sections of the book are
still completely empty.  I've spent too much time fooling around with
peripheral sections, and not enough on the basics.  Please hang in there
...

> Also, how big is the big brush ...

The smallest brushes I use are about 5mm across, and the largest are
about 14cm long, kind of like those shoe brushes I used to use back when
I still wore shoes.

They come a lot bigger than that, but as my prints are not so big, I
have no need for anything larger.  Daniel probably has some real
monsters in his kit.

> how many prints can come from a loaded big brush?

The easy answer is ... one.  The point of having a large brush isn't to
save time dabbing pigment on the block.  I see two main reasons:

1) to save 'brush rubbing' time - if the brush is too small, you're
rubbing endlessly trying to get the block covered, and parts of it
frequently dry out before you're done.

2) to carry enough reserve of pigment that the brush doesn't really get
depleted with each rubbing. You still dab on the required amount of
pigment for each impression.  The large reserve contained in the brush
ensures that the impressions are consistent from one to the next.

Of course as you are going along, you may find that the pigment is
building up too much.  In that case, do a couple of impressions without
adding more.  The reserve will start to drop bit by bit, and the colour
in the print will gradually become fainter ...  It's sometimes a bit
difficult to control for an inexperienced printmaker, because the
effects don't start to show for a few impressions ...

But it does give _great_ stability from one print to the next, and in my
world, that is of prime importance.

***

This message came in this afternoon to me, and I guess it might be of
interest to some of you ...

*** start message ***

Dear David: please help us post this event to your readers and
printmakers.

Charlevoix Annual Print Exhibition
Charlevoix Art Gallery
2102 Charlevoix St. NW

PO Box 80436
Albuquerque, NM 87198
(505) 247-2544
E-mail:  info@centralprintmaking.com
www.centralprintmaking.com

In an effort to promote the fine art of printmaking, Charlevoix Art Gallery 
in collaboration with Central Printmaking Studio will hold an annual 
three-month rotating juried exhibition of prints in the months of 
September, October, and November.  The exhibit will be open to printmakers 
of all styles and media.

Submission
Submit a minimum of three, and a maximum of twenty prints.  We will accept 
slides, high-resolution color copies or color photographs.  Please include 
a resume or a bio, reviews if applicable, artist's statement, numbered list 
of works, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Image Information
Please include a numbered list of works, with title, media, dimensions, and 
edition number.

Size
Maximum 24" x 36", no minimum size.

Fees
There will be a charge of $5.00 per each image submitted.  Make check or 
money order payable to Central Printmaking.

Deadline
Deadline for all submissions is July 30th.

Selection
All selections will be made by August 13th.  Artists will be notified 
shortly thereafter.  All selected works must be received by August 27th.

Schedule of Exhibitions
September 3 - September 27     2nd Place  Group exhibit featuring 3 artists
October 1 - November 1             1st Place  Solo exhibit
November 5 - November 29        3rd Place  Group exhibit featuring 7 artists

Please send materials to:

Central Printmaking
PO Box 80436
Albuquerque, NM 87198

For more information, please e-mail to:  info@centralprintmaking.com or 
call (505) 247-2544.

*** end message ***

Dave

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End of Baren Digest V6 #500
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