Baren Digest Wednesday, 28 March 2001 Volume 14 : Number 1371 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Garth Hammond" Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 05:29:16 -0700 Subject: [Baren 14060] Re: About paper tearing Thanks Babara Barbara and all, another part of the question is do you believe/have you noticed that deckling increases or effects the value in any way? Garth ------------------------------ From: Salsbury Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 09:39:10 -0800 Subject: [Baren 14061] Late Snake Hi Lee, You wrote "Dear Snake participants, Do I win the laggard award." Not a chance! I can't believe that a 4X6 piece of paper can be so much trouble. This has become the print project from Help or something near that spelling. If I don't get something soon that I am willing to put my name on, all the lovely snakes that have slithered into my mail box will be slithering back home again. Sue ------------------------------ From: B E Mason Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 08:01:09 -0800 Subject: [Baren 14062] Re: About paper tearing In my personal experience, no. But museum's are not standing in line to buy my work either. Barbara ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 08:52:00 -0800 Subject: [Baren 14063] black paper Some notes on working with black paper. http://www.1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/blackpaper/blackpaper.html I have worked with both Arches and BFK black, being very similar paper in terms of absorption. Canson will give nice results but the paper isn't quite black enough for me. The 9" x 12" stuff someone mentioned could be Strathmore Recycled paper. Very nice results with this one, only limitation being the size. Even on the smoother papers, I had to print lighter colors twice, sometimes three times. Hand printing gave me better results than press printing, go figure. Incidentally and for those interested in such things, the market for woodcut prints and especially wood engravings is alive and well. Finding the right audience is a trick, but once folks know what you do and how you do it, they open their wallets. Something I learned from Dave, this past festival I displayed some of my prints without glass (the black paper prints, in fact). The inks shining in the light with their relief ridges from the edges of the block showed very well and attracted folks over and over. Tough to keep people from touching them, but other than that, very successful way to show your prints. Glass really flattens a woodcut in comparison. Health to all, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: James G Mundie Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 11:10:32 -0500 Subject: [Baren 14064] moistening paper Another reason for moistening paper that hasn't yet been mentioned -- at least as far as Western papers like Rives or Arches are concerned, is that moistening helps to soften the paper by breaking down the sizing a bit. The softened paper will be much more receptive to pigment, whether water- or oil-based. *** Someone mentioned having difficulty handcoloring over an oil-based woodcut on Arches. The secret ingredient is (drum roll, please)... a little product by Kodak called Fotoflo. A couple of drops in your mixing pan and this stuff works wonders when trying to lay watercolor over oil-based ink. I last used it to handcolor an etching, but the principle is the same and should work fine for a woodcut. I don't know exactly how it works, but Fotoflo allows the water to act against its nature and not be repelled by the oil in the ink. The result? Lovely clean, non-mottled color over, around and flush against your oily lines. As far as I know, Fotoflo will not yellow with age (but I could be wrong). James Mundie http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/index.htm ------------------------------ From: B E Mason Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 08:01:09 -0800 Subject: [Baren 14065] Re: About paper tearing In my personal experience, no. But museum's are not standing in line to buy my work either. Barbara > > Barbara and all, another part of the question is do you believe/have you > noticed that deckling increases or effects the value in any way? > > Garth ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 12:52:01 -0600 Subject: [Baren 14066] Re: moistening paper -Photoflo James writes: "..... a little product by Kodak called Fotoflo. A couple of drops in your mixing pan and this stuff works wonders when trying to lay watercolor over oil-based ink...." I know this stuff well, I used it in my darkroom back in the 70's and 80's, still have some. It is what photographers use in the darkroom to add to their final water bath....after your photo print is fully washed from the hypo...you dip it in a tray that has water and a few drops of Fotoflo....like James mentions it changes the characteristics of the water...in photgraphy it get rids of water drops from clinging to your print and leaving water drops while drying. Speaking of .....has anyone noticed how alike woodblock printmaking and photography are ? In both we capture/design an image and transfer it to a matrix. In wb is the wood block, in photo is the negative. In both the image is reverse. In both the matrix needs to be worked to achieve maximum success. In both the matrix is just the vehicle for the final product and can be used repeatedly for making multiples...in wb we use pigments and ink..in photo we use chemicals to develop the latent image...in both the final product is a paper print....and unfortunately...both Art forms have had to struggle to find respect and their rightful place among the art community... Congratulations to everyone on exchange #8, fantastic folio, I will try to send some critiques real soon.....Dimitris, I am sending you a big ruler for Christmas {;-) My snakes will be going out this weekend..... thanks...Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 13:57:05 -0500 Subject: [Baren 14067] Re: Late Snake Sue Do not give up, we are willing to wait for your critter. The Exchange was fantastic. I think it is getting better and better. love to check out the wonderful prints as well as the paper that is used. Now on to the next one!!!! Jeanne N. ------------------------------ From: Jim Bryant Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 13:15:09 -0700 Subject: [Baren 14068] Re: About paper tearing Actually, from an archivist/museum stand point, there is a reason for tearing the paper rather than cutting it. The simple explanation is that torn paper lasts longer. A sheet of paper that has a cut edge will become ragged over time because, on a microscopic level, the fibers in the paper have been broken in an unnatural pattern (perfectly straight). The result is the short ends of the broken paper fibers will eventually fall away from the sheet, giving the cut edge a ragged appearance. A torn edge however, allows the paper fibers to break away at more natural intervals along the sheet, making for a more durable edge to the sheet of paper. Hope this helps in your decision to tear or not. jim- ------------------------------ From: "eli griggs" Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 15:55:30 -0500 Subject: [Baren 14069] change of inks, etc. Hi there: A question about open edition printmaking. I have several small woodcut and lino blocks from which I originally pulled a small number of oil-based prints. Recently I reprinted those blocks with Graphics' water soluble ink. Other than my own edition notes, (I have numbered all prints sequentially), is there any requirement that I make an indication on the new prints of my choice/change of black ink? Personally, I do not see a need, but I would like to hear if anyone has a different point of view and why. A link for those of you who seek books on printmaking, papermaking and like subjects: Frances Wakeman Books Books on the Book Arts 2 Manor Way, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 2BD, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 378316 -- Fax: +44 (0)1865 378934 info@fwbooks.com They have just posted a new catalogue and this little offering looks to be a lot of fun. #292 (PAPER SPECIMENS) JAPAN PAPER COMPANY., HAND-MADE JAPANESE VELLUM FROM THE SHIDZUOKA MILL. . New York and Philadelphia: Japan Paper Company, n.d. (1916), 8vo, (26) pages. Printed paper wrappers, faded, 2 small tears on back cover. ś Every page - and the covers - of this booklet is printed on a different sample of Japanese vellum. Printed on the samples are a text page, title page, menu, book plate, etc. On the verso of the title page is a price list dated 1916. Ł 45.00 James Mundie wrote: > I don't know exactly how >it works, but Fotoflo allows the water to act against its nature and not >be repelled by the oil in the ink. The result? Lovely clean, >non-mottled color over, around and flush against your oily lines. As far >as I know, Fotoflo will not yellow with age (but I could be wrong). Fotoflo (Photoflo?) and Ox Gall 'break' the surface tension of water so it does not 'pile-up'. I have read several works on watercolour in which the authors recommend the Kodak product, so I think it is ok. It has been about ten years since I have been in a darkroom, but if memory serves, Kodak use to offer a couple of different strengths of this stuff. I would chose a lesser strength to be safe. Eli Griggs Charlotte N.C. USA ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 22:41:28 EST Subject: [Baren 14070] exchange #8 Hi, I just went online to look at Exchange #8 and it looks great, folks - congratulations to all that participated - best wishes Sarah ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v14 #1371 *****************************