[Baren} the mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking Baren Digest Saturday, 8 July 2000 Volume 12 : Number1069 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 09:39:06 -0400 Subject: [Baren 10332] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1068 Welcome back to Tokyo, Himi and Fumi! We look forward to the additions to the Encyclopedia (as you did such a fine job of it last year). > Have you guys seen Chicken Run yet. Graham, we see that everyday at the Amish farm on the road behind our house. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Greg and Trish Carter Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 14:38:40 -0400 Subject: [Baren 10333] Re: Sealing wood and other techniques This email is inspired by the latest discussion on how to seal wood blocks but it goes beyond the specific. My response is really directed for those that are just learning printmaking but everybody can hear my two cents worth. It is very revealing about printmaking when you can get so many different responses to a very simple and basic part of woodblock printing such as sealing the block. I think it is very important for artists that are learning the basics of printmaking to remember that printers develope there techniques over a long period of time and they arise out of their imagery as much as anything else. The way we choose our specific technique is how it helps or hurts in communicating our creative ideas. Take sealing the block for instance. It is important to note that all of the tecniques mentioned are good and they all give you a slightly different effect when the block is printed. If you print oil based ink through the press, it tends to seal the block more than hand printing. I like to seal the block when I am doing multy color work that is hand printed because it keeps the ink more on the surface of the block and transfers a richer, thicker layer of ink. I use water based polyurathene because I belive it creates resistance between the block and ink and also increases the richness of the printed Ink. When I am doing press printed flats or blended rolls(I love blended rolls by the way) I perfer a lightly oiled block because it helps me maintain the blend. I know it my be blasphmey on baren, but many times I use Cintra( a PVC sign material) because the hardness and tectured surface create an even richer layer of ink and you can create great textures with electric tools. I am sure some of this is notion and other printers might disagree but the point is the way you print is what causes the artist to get the look they want and if the technique does not give you the look you want then you need to look for a new technique. Greg Carter ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 17:18:17 -0500 Subject: [Baren 10334] It works for me......... Just wanted to share a couple of little ideas that work for me here. Welcome to all the new members. Everytime I stop at the local Dunkin Donuts shop I ask the lady for a handful of the waxy paper they use for handling the donuts. These little 6X6" pieces of wax paper are just great to place between your baren and the back of your printing paper to protect it and keep everything smooth while rubbing. I recently came unto a whole lot of metal type (26lbs of 36 point size). The type was all mixed in a large box and it took over several hours to sort everything out into lower and caps and special characters. Not having a case to go with it, I ran to the local home improvement store and picked up three plastic boxes of the type used to hold screws and nails. Each box is about 15L" X 10W" X 1.5H" and comes with 20 plastic divider tabs allowing you to create your very own compartment design. At $2.97 each plastic container, you can't beat the price. All the type stands up neatly avoiding face-to-face contact and because I create each individual compartment depending on the number of each letter available, everything is neat and compact. Two containers were enough to hold all the type and spacers, but I needed the extra one for the additional 20 divider tabs (26 + 26 + special characters & spacers). All my brushes and tools go now into that third tabless container. For another commercial use of woodblocks....check this guy out ! http://www.davidregantile.com/blockprint.html Thanks....Julio ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 18:10:25 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10336] Boot camp Graham and all, I just got my pictures developed and got some good ones. If I can get them scanned will put them up somewhere, I am a novice at this computer stuff so we will see. Got a great one of Gayle spatted against the window. She made us promise not to tell about this until she was home as she wanted to read it. Late one night Wanda and I were going in the patio door on our way to bed and we were startlled by a huge thud, it was Gayle running head first into the door coming the other way. She thought it was open in the dark and was warning us about how dangerougs the stairs to the upstairs were in the dark. We laughed so hard we forgot to make sure Gayle was alright and after we were in bed, said to one another, should we go check on her? We envisioned her laying bleeding in the tent trailer, but then figured her husband Jim would notice if she wasn't OK. We laughed about it for several days, but think it was one of those things where you had to have been there! I have one more little good bit of camp gossip and this is one on Wanda. She was taking digital pictures of everyone working with Dave's camera as he was busy printing. When she came around to Greg Robison he was carving his block, but had a block beside him with the image still very visable. She said as only Wanda can, "do you want to be showing that block or do you want to put up the good block?" Of course as soon as she realized how it had sounded she convulse in laughter and Greg, being the worlds best straight man said "I'm a man with a To and I know how to use it!" We all laughed quite a bit, and Wanda laughed so hard Marco was afraid she was hurting herself. As I type this I can hardly control my laughter, I think it was one of the funnier things I have ever witnessed.Sorry Wanda, it was just too funny not to share with the world. So you see, it was not all work, but it was almost all work. Barbara M ------------------------------ From: "pwalls1234" Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 01:04:36 -0500 Subject: [Baren 10337] julio Julio, Love the tile/woodcuts. So he actually prints the slip onto a tile? Any thoughts on what he uses to keep the slip from drying too quick? Thanks for the link, pete walls baton rouge peterwalls@firsttree.com ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 15:55:48 +0900 Subject: [Baren 10339] Re: Help > I seem to have lost the (url) web page Dave put together about boot camp. Graham: a collection of the photos I took during the workshop are on-line in the 'Events and Activities' section of the [Baren] website ... (now updated to include daysix and dayseven ...) You can get to it right from the front page of woodblock.com Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V12 #1069 *****************************