Baren Digest Sunday, 12 January 2003 Volume 22 : Number 2091 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Milky Scarabs Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 10:59:26 -0700 Subject: [Baren 20390] WWJD? 1800's > > >DAVE BULL wrote: > >So I dried them all out completely, just as though it was the end of the >printing process, then started again with a good shot of 'formalin' in >the moistening water. (Just spraying on some formalin wouldn't have >helped, because it wouldn't have penetrated the wet paper. This way it >got sucked right deeply down into the dry paper during the remoistening.) > so what did japanese printmakers do in the 1800's in this situation? they didn't have formalin then, did they? :) love <3 & lint * ! kat pukas http://home.earthlink.net/~milkyscarabs ------------------------------ From: "Tyrus Clutter" Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 15:02:52 -0700 Subject: [Baren 20391] Re: lesser of evils Dave, You have to print the plate on newsprint or something to get the excess ink off. This is really the only way you "clean" a poly plate. Other materials will do just the same thing you already did. Poof! it's gone. TyRuS >>>> daved#vokurka.com 01/10/03 05:13PM >>> > >On an amusing note today I was trying to relearn printing and I'm using >polyester litho plates, well my plate was over inking and I "decided" >my ink >was to oily. I gathered all the ink up and then went to clean my >plate >using orange citrus cleaner. Needless to say I was quite surprised when >my >image wiped right off my plate. I had mistakenly thought toner was >insoluble >in citrus cleaner > >Daved ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 08:33:56 +0900 Subject: [Baren 20392] Re: What Would Japanese Do? 1800's > so what did japanese printmakers do in the 1800's in this situation? > they didn't have formalin then, did they? :) No, I guess not, but there were a number of factors different: - - very few of the prints made back then had anywhere as near as many impressions as prints of this 'shin-hanga' type. It is rare to find them with more than 12~15 impressions. - - we are told that a great deal of work was done in the wintertime. Historical references tell us about a flood of workers coming down to the capital each winter, when the rice harvest was finished in the northern areas of the country. I'm not quite sure how much I believe this, but much of the printing was supposed to have been done at this time of year, by people who would then leave in the spring. Researchers who have checked publication dates of prints/books etc., _have_ found that far and away the greater part of all printed material was issued in the winter ... - - if they didn't have formalin, they could do just what I would do in the same situation - put it in the fridge! OK, OK, you mean _before_ they had fridges too ... In that case, just work on smaller batches. It's taking me two weeks to do this run of 124 copies, but if I did a run of half that, it would only take a week ... Problem solved! ** Down to the final three impressions I think. Should be finished later this evening ... Dave ------------------------------ From: "Mary Kuster" Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 00:10:18 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20393] Re: lesser of evils Vegetable oil works without removing the image. > Dave, > You have to print the plate on newsprint or something to get the > excess ink off. This is really the only way you "clean" a poly plate. > Other materials will do just the same thing you already did. Poof! it's > gone. > TyRuS > > >>> daved#vokurka.com 01/10/03 05:13PM >>> > On an amusing not today I was trying to relearn printing and I'm using > polyester litho plates, well my plate was over inking and I "decided" > my ink > was to oily. I gathered all the ink up and then went to clean my > plate > using orange citrus cleaner. Needless to say I was quite surprised when > my > image wiped right off my plate. I had mistakenly thought toner was > insoluble > in citrus cleaner Daved ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 19:37:12 -1000 Subject: [Baren 20394] Re: What Would Japanese Do? 1800's David Bull wrote > > - we are told that a great deal of work was done in the wintertime. I remember reading that Hasui (or was it Yoshida?) would travel and paint during the spring and summer to have new images for the publisher to print each winter. Jack R. ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 18:02:38 +0900 Subject: [Baren 20395] Print finished ... OK gang, the 'collaborative' print is done, and the pages have been updated with the final steps, as well as a large image of the finished print for your inspection. Process pages: http://woodblock.com/surimono/process/5 Final large image: http://woodblock.com/surimono/process/5/images/final_large.jpg In the little story that will accompany this print when it is sent out to the collectors, this paragraph appears: > But what do you think of it!? This print is in what is known as the > shin-hanga style, but unlike nearly all other shin-hanga I have ever > seen, it does not depict a 'beautiful' object. Ladies walking in the > snow with umbrellas ... Mount Fuji at dawn ... these are the standard > themes typical of shin-hanga. But to my mind, the beauty of > woodblock prints is not only in the object shown in the print, but in > the _way_ that it is depicted. As John wrote when describing his design > to me "A paper mill is completely disgusting - both in smell and > appearance - but seen in the right way, it can become a thing of > terrible beauty." John and I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this point - can a print be beautiful even though it doesn't depict a beautiful object? I should emphasize that we didn't make this print with _any_ consideration of political expression - we are not taking any stance on environmental pollution, etc. etc.. There is no 'message' to be communicated here. We simply attempted to make an object of physical beauty. I myself think we basically succeeded, but people to whom I showed this print while it was 'under construction' said things like "Well, it's nice, but I sure wish you had selected a more beautiful subject." I think these people perhaps 'don't get it', but then, what do _I_ know! Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V22 #2091 *****************************