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

Baren Digest               Saturday, 17 July 1999       Volume 08 : Number 631

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 23:05:29 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4969] Re:  Gentle Beating 

April wrote:
> The fibers have to be evenly distributed in all directions. Right?

I believe that this is the key point.  If too many fibres are aligned in
the same direction (say 'up and down'), the paper is free to expand in
the other direction (side to side).  But if the fibres are lying in all
directions across each other, the whole thing is 'locked' together into
a tight mat that has no freedom of movement.

 
> She thought that one of the reasons asian papers change size less than
> western is because the kozo fibers are more intact with the gentler
> beating. I think this is no longer done by hand, but still gentler than a
> hollander beater. Any experience?

This certainly sounds sensible.  But I myself know of only one single
papermaker (Iwano Ichibei) who still beats by hand.  And even in his
case, I've noticed a hollander beater sitting in one of the workrooms,
so the hand beating may really only be for the benefit of the TV crews
... I can't say.

***

She has been too polite to remind me about my oversight ... but I forgot
to mention to everybody that I received an Encyclopedia submission from
E.B.Atwood last week.  It's a short illustrated description of her
registration method - an interesting technique using 3-hole punches.  

You can get to it from the update page at:
http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/updates.html

Dave

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From: judy mensch <mensch@interport.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 10:23:13 -0500
Subject: [Baren 4970] Re: Baren Digest V8 #628 

To all the Baren Exchange #1 participants in the KIWA Exhibition:
Congradulations.  
ALSO, put on your resume the Manhattan Graphics Center Show.  The
official name is Baren Print Portfolio.  The dates are October 5-29,
1999 and the opening will be Saturday, October 9th in the evening (exact
time later).  Sarah, April, and I will hang the show either Sun. or Mon.
10/3 or 10/4.  So please try to attend if you're  near by NYC. It will
be great to meet you all in person.  Everyone has submitted the $20.
except Mary Krieger and Haydee Landing.  Are they still members of
Baren? Sometime during the Summer I'll design a card for the show. 
That's it for now.  Judy
PS: Can we all submit work for the 4th KIWA exhibition next year?  I'd
love to be in it.

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From: Cucamongie@aol.com
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 12:00:18 EDT
Subject: [Baren 4971] Kiwa show 

Thanks for the info, Gayle - I must have forgotten about or missed the email 
about all of our prints being up in this show!  Great to have a show in Japan 
to add to the resume, eh?  
Best to all from hot (again) NYC
Sarah

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@nacs.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 13:49:51 -0400
Subject: [Baren 4972] Re: Baren Digest V8 #630 

Okay, everyone.  I have a question.  I cut out my
Hound of the Baskervilles block.  I made a print,
and for some reason there are notches or a waviness
around my cut edges.  I'm wondering if the bull nosed
chisel is bumping the line when I chisel away from it. 
Is that possible?  I looked at the block and sure enough
it looks like indentations and of course they don't print
because they are a little lower.  Has this happened to
anyone besides me?    

Gayle

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From: Elizabeth Atwood <elizuno@midcoast.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 16:18:49 -0400
Subject: [Baren 4973] Show List 

Thanks, Gayle, for the KIWA show listing. It all comes as a pleasant
surprise. AND congrats to April!!

John Amoss's illustrations for Dave's newsletter were "the right thing."
Nicely done.

Welcome to all the emerging new members......you'll find more here than you
ever dreamed of.

James is back from Ireland!!!......and I plan to zero in on further word of
his adventures there. Do we have to wait for the book???? With luck, we
hope to get to Ireland within the year.

ElizA

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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 16:24:30 -0500
Subject: [Baren 4974] Re: brush on; brush off 

The recent updates to the encyclopedia are great ! I had sorely missed Dave's
Weekly lessons during the winter and the recent group of updates made me go back
and revisit some of my old favorites. Thanks Elizabeth, John and all the others
for your valuable input.

After struggling quite a bit with my print for exchange #2,  I finally realized
what I have been doing wrong.  My brush has been too wet and not prepared/loaded
accordingly. I had been using the mixing brush to transfer the pigment to the
wood and thus not always maintaining the same consistent amount of pigment
between prints. I have gone back to using a separate small brush for applying
the pigment to the wood and use the larger brush for mixing paste & pigment
only. The outcome is shockingly different and certainly more acceptable.

Thanks........Julio

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 08:00:26 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4975] Re: aisuki problem 

Gayle wrote: 
> I'm wondering if the bull nosed
> chisel is bumping the line when I chisel away from it.

Yes, this sounds like your problem.  You have to be careful of the
_back_ side of the aisuki when using it in a levering motion near carved
lines.  Don't let it press down against the wood - the cutting edge is
the only part of the tool that should be allowed to touch the block.

See:
http://woodblock.com/temporary/bumpingaisuki.jpg
... for a poor illustration of what I mean.  

***

Julio wrote:
>  My brush has been too wet and not prepared/loaded accordingly.

Here's a little quote from the Seaby book in the Library:
> The brush, although it should be soaked in clean water to 
> prevent hairs from moulting out, should have most of the 
> moisture removed by shaking and wiping with a rag before use.
> Only as much water as is necessary to convert the colour to a 
> paste should be used, it being remembered that water is 
> poison to good printing. Too wet paper, colour or brushes 
> are certain causes of failure. 

Water is _poison_ to water-based printmaking.  I like that!

And it's no joke.  It's just like the situation with oxygen - which by
itself is a virulent poisonous gas ...

Dave

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From: Sheryl Coppenger <sheryl@SEAS.GWU.EDU>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 20:04:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Baren 4976] Gustave Baumann prints online 

Greetings folks,

Returning from lurk mode here for a minute...

Don't know how long this will be online, but for the moment there is a
pretty extensive collection of Gustave Baumann prints to be found at

	http://www.artline.com

When you click on one of the prints it takes you to 

	http://www.artline.com/galleries/annex/artists/baumann/baumann.html

the first of 8 pages of his prints, about 6 per page.  You may remember 
Gustave Baumann's name from the "turn of the century printmakers" page on 
woodblock.com.  I started to write "there's a book out about Baumann" but
then I double-checked the title on Amazon.com and apparently there are
2 books out about him and a third to be published soon.  The one I had seen
was "Hand of a Craftsman" and it's a nice book but I don't remember any
details.

Incidently, I rented studio space in May and I'm almost moved in and 
settled.  Summer is my "crunch time" at work, but I'm looking forward to 
some nice quiet Fall and Winter days in the studio.  I was really disappointed
with the cherry blocks I was getting from Graphic Chemical last year, 
recently found a place in Vienna, VA where I can buy some nice cherry 
lumber and got myself a good-sized board to cut up and play with.

Sheryl Coppenger

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From: John Ryrie <j.ryrie@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au>
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 17:29:58 +1000
Subject: [Baren 4978] Re: bull nosed chisel

>Gayle wrote: 
>> I'm wondering if the bull nosed
>> chisel is bumping the line when I chisel away from it.

I don't know if this will be of eny help but the problem that you have
described is very common wen wood engraving on an end-grain block. 
 The solution there is to place a small piece of heavy card board between the
chisel and the block when cleaning out away from a part you wish to print

John 

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End of Baren Digest V8 #631
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