[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Sunday, 28 November 1999 Volume 09 : Number 799 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 09:10:13 -0500 Subject: [Baren 6841] Re: Baren Digest V9 #798 Nice to see us having a two-year old birthday. Dave, your idea of breaking us up into little rooms sounds kind of scarey. The reason I say this is, it feels fragmented. And I'd want to be in all rooms in case I miss something. Yet, the idea is a little appealing, too, because then you could keep certain aspects together for going back to check things out. Right now, if I want to go back and find something about a subject, it's always a horrible chore. I suppose an index by subject would be helpful. Thanks for the ideas, Dave, and for this studio of information where we can learn from each other. And I certainly agree with you that we have gained a wealth of enrichment from our little community here. Some of us have met, some of us will meet, some of us have exchanged prints already, and for some of us who live out in the boondocks where there are no other printmakers of the woodcut kind, this is a gift. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 07:49:37 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6842] Re: border John wrote.... > If I understand the question correctly you are referring to the border > This is an aesthetic devise and if you don't want it >to print simply cut it off the block. If you ever wanted the border again then I suggest you cut a mask of say, BFK and position this on the inked plate to prevent the border from being printed.... It is fiddly but it works. It has worked for me. >swapping work among ourselves, Horacio and I have >just done that very thing. Also Andy English's web site has a section >devoted to this. >http://freespace.virgin.net/a.english Couldn't fine the subject on this page. More directions please. Graham ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 08:04:29 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6843] Re: border I sent this a moment ago and thought of another mask material. If you use a piece of acetate.... 10pt. it will be durable and last. If you hinge this on the plate and swing it into position after each inking you will find it less hassel than positioning a piece between inkings. Graham ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 08:13:24 -0800 Subject: [none] Jack, please include me in your list for brushes. Thanks. I used a brush in lamp black and have now dedicated it to lamp black. Lamp black is very, very black, but may not be the best black for the job. Too bad I got a dry pound of it. Suggestions? Jean Eger ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 13:13:11 EST Subject: [Baren 6845] Schools w/handmade paper program Now I'm a little confused who was looking for a school w/handmade paper as part of curriculum, but anyway, in case this school hasn't been mentioned, Columbia College in Chicago looks like it has a great program, I've met some folks from there & seen their class info, it seems like a great place, if I wasn't sort of stuck in NYC for the moment I'd love to check them out. Also, a woman who used to be at Dieu Donne named Lyn (I forget her last name) is now at University of Iowa teaching, I hear they have a great program there too. All the best, Sarah ------------------------------ From: Bella1yopp@aol.com Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 13:37:59 EST Subject: [Baren 6846] Re: Schools w/handmade paper program I am the one looking for a school with papermaking facilities. But since my primary interest in a Master's in Printmaking, I need a school with a good program and good facilities for printmaking also. The papermaking facilities was just on my wish list. Someone else mentioned the Univ of Iowa. Does anyone know about their printmaking dept? Columbia College in Chicago? I will look them up. Thanks to everyone for their help. Since I am out of school I feel sort of on my own in the graduate school search. So, if anyone thinks of any other schools that would be great also. However, my barrel is becoming full and it is expensive to apply to gradschools!! - -Amanda Yopp ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 14:05:13 -0500 Subject: [Baren 6847] Oil base printers and Water color printers Dave I sort of go along with Gayle in this department. I would hate to be isolated from the Water color printmakers. I have learned and keep on learning from them. I have a great collection (besides the Baren Enc.) re; water color printmaking and one of these days will use the information. I love hearing from real watercolor printmakers like you, Graham, April and all the others who excell in this medium. Please do not punish me because I work in oils!!!!!!! The Baren Group inspired me to do the article on the Provincetown printmakers that you have included in the Encylopedia. It was my first foray into the watercolor prints. At least I got my feet wet. (bad joke). I kept the block together with the print. Groups come through my studio and get a lesson on watercolor printmaking because of you. Well, I guess that is all I wanted to say. PS. When the e mail is full of computereeze, then I hit the delete button. This is a choice that I have and we all have , if we are not that interested in the postings. I think that would solve the problem of too many postings. Happy Birthday Baren Jeanne N. ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 11:44:32 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6849] Border Hi Dutch, Before the baren I used primarily litho ink and I usually mask off borders with tape and remove it to print. It is fast, fairly cheap and always works. The other ways work also, but that mask of acetate or paper is really a hassel and I find it is just really in my way when I roll out ink. Most of the people on baren who use water based ink have not used rollers a lot, so they don't understand that everything sticks to them, even the paper and acetate mask. I do know etchers who make masks out of heavy waxed paper, like tag board and do a flip system to mask the print so they can drop in a color in an area, but they are usually adding a spot of color to a wiped plate with a small roller in a fairly small spot with a small brayer. This is different than trying to roll the whole plate through a mask. If you have any other questions, ask us and feel free to e-mail me off list if you need to. Barbara ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 11:56:52 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6850] Happpy birthday Two years? That means I missed the whole first year? Thanks for all the information and all the companionship. I admit I had never done a woodblock print before the Baren. I am now hooked. I probably can't give up my other printmaking "habits" so will admit woodblock will be one of several. I have also learned much about the history of Japan. What an opportunity this has been. This is a great forum and a great group of people, Thanks Dave, for making it possible. A very happy birthday! Barbara ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 07:54:45 +0900 Subject: [Baren 6851] Re: border Somebody mentioned Andy English's web site. The full URL is: > http://freespace.virgin.net/a.english/print.htm *** Jeanne wrote, re 'splitting up [Baren]': > Please do not punish me because I work in oils!!!!!!!. Jeanne, relax. I have no plans to do this anytime soon. I was simply looking ahead to a time when [Baren] has, not the current 130 members, but around _230_ members, or more. Do you really want 40~50 emails from the group every day? Don't worry about this; I think things will take a natural course ... *** Barbara wrote, re 'masks': > everything sticks to them, even the paper and acetate mask. This was one of the reasons I recommended aluminum foil for masking. The brush, roller, whatever, just scoots across it smoothly without sticking or pulling up. A second advantage is that, unlike a paper mask, it lasts for many many impressions without becoming soggy with ink. And a third advantage, a very big one, is that unlike the paper and mylar masks, it has essentially no thickness, and thus does not interfere with the impression on the rest of the plate. This third advantage is only apparent if you are using the 'ink first - mask second' method (using the mask to cover up wet ink, and leaving it in place while you take the impression). *** > Two years? That means I missed the whole first year? You haven't 'missed' anything. It's all buried in the archive section of the web site (all the important stuff that is - somewhere around the end of the first year I started 'trimming' stuff when I put it in the archives, cutting out stuff that would be or no interest to future readers, and just leaving posts with 'content'.) You can even download them in packages, to keep them on your own disk for easy fast searching with keywords. This is _really_ the way to go, and you can then find anything that you need with a minimum of hassle. I do this with a program called BBEdit (on my Mac), and that program will find anything I want in the whole two years' worth of files in under 5 seconds. For instance, if I want to see if we have discussed 'masking' before, I just give the program the keyword 'masking', tell it to search in the Archive folder, hit the 'Find All' button and ... (just a moment while I actually try this ...) I lied. It took _12_ seconds. But it _did_ come up with a dozen or so references, mostly to the use of masking tape to cover the part of the block to reduce black ink smears near the kento corner, which Jack had inquired about. But I see also that there is another solution to our current inking question - Mary Krieger from Canada recommended glossy packaging tape, as the brush or roller slides over it easily without sticking ... Neat, yesno? Dave P.S. The [Baren] Events & Activities section of the web site was updated last night, with a little photo story from Matt Brown ... ------------------------------ From: "John Ryrie" Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 10:33:39 +1100 Subject: [Baren 6852] address Dave I don't work in the traditional Japanese manner but I am interested in the technique. And there is often information from your teem that is as relevant to oil based printing. When a subject that doesn't interest me comes up like the resent one on papermaking I just skim through it and delete it the amount of mail isn't a problem for me. John ------------------------------ From: "Bea Gold" Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 17:32:47 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6854] Happy Birthday ... Hi Dave, I read your message and felt very full of your "food for thought" like after Thanksgiving dinner. I just want you, and everyone to know how much I have appreciated being part of the Baren membership, this past year. I am new to Hanga because of Baren and will continue to try to perfect new skills. I find it wonderful to have ideas from both European and Japanese print making expressed. I read the things I'm interested in fully and skim those that I have only a peripheral intersts in so I can keep up with the ideas. I am willing to help in anyway you think I can. So know there are at least some of us with time to help. One thing I learned a long time ago is "don't fix it if it ain't broke" I don't think it's broke yet. Happy Birthday everyone! Bea ------------------------------ From: Wanda Robertson Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 18:02:39 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6855] Re: Happpy birthday Yes, a very happy Birthday to Baren today! My husband's birthday is also November 27. He's not 2 though. For those of you who missed the first year - or any of the spaces in between (while on trips, etc.) Dave keeps a very tidy archive of past messages on the woodblock.com site. I have answered a lot of my carving/printing/paper questions, by going to that site and reading the posts from the first year or so. My favorites are Volume 6,7 and 8. I actually have saved those to my desktop so I can read them again. I've wanted to learn the Japanese methods since 1968, when I first saw a book about Japanese prints of the Edo period. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the resurgence of woodblock print-making! Wanda ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 20:56:37 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6856] Re: Happy Birthday ... Deep in thought here in Las Vegas after the Birthday message from Dave. First of all, Happy Birthday Baren! Glad to be a part of this awesome group. On the Convention analogy and splitting, first I thought also as some of you: "oh no! I don't want Baren to become fragmented!" There must be a hundred artists' groups on the web, each with no more than 20 members. Check out the Onelist.com membership lists and you will see what I mean. No, no! Then I calmly thought of this hypothetical scenario: I could be signed up for the Papermaking Room's and the Computer Art Room's Digest and just lurk; I could at the same time actively take part in the conversations going on in Oily Folk's Room and the PressBuilder's Room, the Believe It Or Not Experimental Printmaking Techniques' Room and to a lesser extent in the Hanga Room; and at the same time continue to attend the Bar on a regular basis (hic). Not a bad scenario. The comaraderie? Still there, and some of us might be able to talk more freely in a room full of printmaker's with similar likes. But, as others have said, I think we are still okay as a one-room group for the present time. The Swap Shop could work just as the Dragon Exchange did, that is, either Dave or one of us with Web Sites puts up a page, everyone that signs up gets a print from the others. I think this works especially well with small size prints, like the dragon, but could also work if everyone decided to swap a 16 x 20 or ??? On marketing as a group, I think April and Judy started something with the Manhattan Graphics show. Since so many of us are geographically close, we could, for example, have the Oregon group or the So. California group get a gallery or public place and organize a show. This way participating in the Exchanges would get the bonus of a show in a different part of the country or even internationally. I'm sure I could do something here in Vegas about showing an exchange in the University Gallery or ??? Many other printmaking societies have regular shows yearly or more often. I agree with sending Dave updates of the activities we are all participating in. This is a varied and active group and we should take full advantage of the fact that Dave's site probably gets more hits than any other site belonging to a Baren member. Too bad about the lending library not working out, I was about to volunteer some of my own books for lending. If we become better disciplined, it is something to think about. In terms of sharing resources for learning, this could become invaluable. I will also, beginning late Fall 2000, begin organizing a collaboration workshop/get together in Vegas for those who want to come. It is one of the cheapest cities to fly into in the world. I fully agree that meeting in person with other members of Baren is one of the absolute most incredible bonuses of being in this group. There is really nothing like it in the web. HTML okay by me too. And count me in for helping out, I will take over the Who's Baren page updating if you would like me to do so. Just say the word. Enough for now. Health to all, Maria ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V9 #799 ***************************