Baren Digest Thursday, 16 January 2003 Volume 22 : Number 2095 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Louise Cass Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 09:32:12 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20423] Re: Thin waterbased ink or use damp paper? Hi Chris- I've posted this before to someone else - use the watersoluble vehicule (Graph Chem) to obtain whatever consistency you'll find workable (I like about half and half and I also prefer to work with dampened papers - spray the paper with water and layer between blotting paper for an hour or so) Louise Cass At 08:00 PM 1/12/03 -0800, you wrote: >I'm using Graphic Chemical waterbased inks. It >seems very thick and doesn't flow like I'd like >it. My arm is worn out by the 5th print! > >I'm wondering what the proper procedure is when >printing. > >Should I be printing on dampened paper? > >Should I use "extender" or whatever they call it >to thin the ink to a desirable consistancy? > >Or maybe do both? > >Thanks, >Chris > ------------------------------ From: "carolwagner" Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 08:02:09 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20424] Mea culpa and other April, Oops, Actually I forgot-there is one chapter, in volume two of Fenollosa's "Epochs..." entitled "Modern Plebeian Art In Yedo" where he discusses the rise of Japanese woodcut As we have come to know it. So he does touch the subject, but only to show its development from an already secularized milieu. and on the subject of connection between sacred use and woodcut, right up to the present day it was the custom in many Himalayan Kingdoms to print small 'charms/prayers' which were placed in prayer wheels, and considered meritorious to constantly cause the wheels to revolve. < Ernest Fenelllosa,in his "Epochs Of Chinese and Japans Art discusses only painting and sculpture...> ................................ And on another note, Maria, Don't feel too bad- Haven't you noticed that really creative and busy people (such as yourself) sooner or later always attempt to recreate the wheel? ... ............................. Carol in Sacramento ------------------------------ From: "Tyrus Clutter" Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 11:10:40 -0700 Subject: [Baren 20425] Hand Printing question Hey folks, I usually use a proofing press to print my oily prints, but need to print by hand for a workshop this summer. I am looking for inexpensive suggestions for hand printing that the students will be doing. If I'm printing by hand (say, to check progress of an image) I use a nice slick wooden spoon. How well does that Speedball nylon covered baren work? The spoons can take awhile to get into good shape. What do you all think, as I try to confirm my supply list? TyRuS ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:22:20 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20426] Re: Hand Printing question At 11:10 AM 1/15/2003 -0700, you wrote: >How well does that Speedball nylon covered baren work? The >spoons can take awhile to get into good shape. What do you all think, as >I try to confirm my supply list? >TyRuS Dear TyRuS, By the way, why do you capitalize like that? I absolutely HATE my speedball nylon covered baren !!!! Save the $17 and buy the $3.80 Pla-Barens from Baren-Mall http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/barens.html Those will give a better feel. Or 'splurge' and order the Sosaku-Baren for $36 (same link). Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Daniel Dew Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 13:51:51 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20427] Re: Hand Printing question For us "non-japanese" printers, what's the difference on the Sosaku Sumi and Sosaku Beta? d. dew > From: Mike Lyon > http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/barens.html Those will give a > better feel. Or 'splurge' and order the Sosaku-Baren for $36 (same link). > > Mike > > > ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 13:24:31 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20428] Re: Hand Printing question Dan writes: "For us "non-japanese" printers, what's the difference on the Sosaku Sumi and Sosaku Beta?" "They come in two weights: 'sumi' (a finer cord, more suitable for printing key blocks with lines), and 'beta' (a heavier cord, useful for solid colour)." The word 'heavy' is deceiving since the mall weight for both is 175g....I think it refers to the thickness of the cord used in the baren inner wrappings. For more descriptions and options...go here... http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/001_02/001_02_frame.html I have one of the plastic barens and it can't be beat for the price ($3.80)....I can put lot of pressure on it w/o it breaking and it gives a baren like feel...when printing a large solid color area with my proof press...I find that giving it a final go over with the plastic baren will allow for more transfer of color into the paper...I can see the verso get darker with the pla-baren rubbing.... I think Maria also has a page on making a baren with wood.....could not find it...check her site....sorry... thanks........julio ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne N. Chase" Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 14:56:21 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20429] Hanga printing All of you pro Hanga printmakers out there. I know of 5 people who are struggling with the Hanga exchange. There are probably more out there too. But, we who are struggling will more than appreciate the Hanga prints when we see them. This one for the # 15 exchange might be the last one I do, but it surely makes me humble when I see all those neat prints now. I now know that "oily" (as Maria put it), prints are now easy to do for me. Jeanne N. Still struggling!!!!! ------------------------------ From: "Maria Diener (aka Arango)" Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:22:01 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20430] Re: Hand Printing question Scroll toward the bottom, explains how to make these. They work better than Japanese barens for oily prints. I'm finding out water based pigment/paste is a LOT easier to transfer than oil inks (as we speak, 2 blocks down 4 to go). http://www.1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/Woodcut/Woodcut1.html http://www.1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/Woodcut/shroombarens.html re: exch 15 I'm having fun! I can now actually sort of kind of "see" the pigment on the block and whether it is sufficiently saturated. I'm having a tough time with the moisture, but as most rookies (that's me!) use too much water, maybe that is a blessing. Things get dry quickly, including brush and block, but I'm beginning to tell when that happens. 269 more hanga style prints and I should be fair at this. Getting consistency from print to print is a trick I haven't up my sleeve as of yet, I simply can't tell what I'm doing different from print to print. But it does feel a bit like magic when you goop up the entire block with colored goop and your print comes out clean, or actually sort of clean, following my usual cuts. Also, I didn't think I would get a print in my "style" but I'm finding that my "sloppy" cutting looks good in hanga! Paper is also tough to keep consistently damp, but I have placed the stack between blotters and plastic and that seems to do the trick. Well, we'll see after the next few blocks, but so far my first two blocks are registering as near perfect as I can muster. Disaster may lurk around the corner, so I'm still anxious. Maria, rushing off to the dampness (but not too much) PS I will meet John Center this Friday, he's coming over for a visit PPS The same spray bottle that keeps everything misted so it won't dry can be used to keep kittens from lapping at the rice paste without harming either kitten or rice paste. Darned things seem to think it's a fun mommy-game and actually seems they are starting to like getting sprayed. <||><||><||><||><||><||> Maria Arango Las Vegas Nevada USA www.1000woodcuts.com <||><||><||><||><||><||> I have one of the plastic barens and it can't be beat for the price ($3.80)....I can put lot of pressure on it w/o it breaking and it gives a baren like feel...when printing a large solid color area with my proof press...I find that giving it a final go over with the plastic baren will allow for more transfer of color into the paper...I can see the verso get darker with the pla-baren rubbing.... I think Maria also has a page on making a baren with wood.....could not find it...check her site....sorry... thanks........julio ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 15:27:43 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20431] Re: Hand Printing question Maria writes: " Things get dry quickly, including brush and block, but I'm beginning to tell when that happens. 269 more hanga style prints and I should be fair at this. ..." Hey don't feel bad....that's about the number of prints that Dave makes EVERY month.... Not sure how it would be in the Vegas extremes, but usually too much water is a bad thing....I think the trick to consistent printing is to do all your proofing ahead of time and work all the quirks out....then once the edition is started....go go go...like mad....one print after the other keeping the same balance going.... remember it takes a few impressions for the brush- block to "warmup". I had quite the opposite problem....seems funny now. I tried to do some printing last night...using my Vandercook press, the one out in the garage.....it was well below freezing...I saw my cup with pigment and water freeze right before my eyes....I got some rice paste on my press roller and silly me sprayed some water on it to clean it...it froze right on the metal roller...pretty funny...scrape, scrape....added some alcohol to my pigment mix....that did the trick....prints came out ok...(when you get them keep them away from open flames!)... now I have to take care of the frostbite in my fingers.... Who was it that said that the old japanese did all their printing in the winter season ? Julio ------------------------------ From: "Lopas, Matthew" Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:27:33 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20432] block printing workshop does anybody know of a really good intensive beginning block printing workshop? I would prefer it to be in a nice location but will go anywhere. Is there anything in Japan? > ---------- > From: Mike Lyon > Reply To: baren#ml.asahi-net.or.jp > Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 12:22 PM > To: baren#ml.asahi-net.or.jp > Subject: [Baren 20426] Re: Hand Printing question > > At 11:10 AM 1/15/2003 -0700, you wrote: > >How well does that Speedball nylon covered baren work? The > >spoons can take awhile to get into good shape. What do you all think, as > >I try to confirm my supply list? > >TyRuS > > Dear TyRuS, > > By the way, why do you capitalize like that? > > I absolutely HATE my speedball nylon covered baren !!!! Save the $17 and > buy the $3.80 Pla-Barens from Baren-Mall > http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/barens.html Those will give a > better feel. Or 'splurge' and order the Sosaku-Baren for $36 (same link). > > Mike > > > > Mike Lyon > mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com > http://www.mlyon.com > > ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:33:57 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20433] Re: block printing workshop At 04:27 PM 1/15/2003 -0600, you wrote: >does anybody know of a really good intensive beginning block printing >workshop? I would prefer it to be in a nice location but will go anywhere. >Is there anything in Japan? Well, it's not Japan, and it's not precisely "a workshop", but you are welcome to join us in Kansas City in mid-June for a week of traditional Japanese wood block printmaking at the BAREN SUMMIT -- currently there are seventeen signed up, and we have 'room' for up to thirteen more. Information and registration is here: http://www.barenforum.org/summit/ - -- Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:55:14 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20434] Re: requirements for #15... Hey Mike..just want to make sure I have everything covered before doing my print run for #15....let me know if I missed any requirements.. multi-block no oil (waterbased only) no press (hand printed - baren or other tool) on japanese papers only 5X15" to 5.5X15.5" size limit 31 needed for the exchange mailed by 2/01/2003 is that it ? did I missed anything ? thanks...........Julio ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 17:05:17 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20435] Re: requirements for #15... >Hey Mike..just want to make sure I have everything covered before doing my >print run for #15....let me know if I missed any requirements.. > >multi-block > no oil (waterbased only) >no press (hand printed - baren or other tool) >on japanese papers only >5X15" to 5.5X15.5" size limit >31 needed for the exchange >mailed by 2/01/2003 > >is that it ? did I missed anything ? > >thanks...........Julio Sorry, I'm out the door to officiate a wedding in California (call me Reverend Mike -- or if you're one of my kids, just call me 'father') -- specs are on the barenforum.org web site, or check with Kat... Back on line Monday! Mike Mike Lyon ------------------------------ From: Barbara Mason Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 17:02:12 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 20436] Re: Hand Printing question Tyrus, Check out the wooden knobs Maria uses...her website is www.Mariarango.com You might try the plastic pla barens from the mall, they are very inexpensive, under $4. Barbara Tyrus Clutter wrote: "Hey folks, I usually use a proofing press to print my oily prints, but need to print by hand for a workshop this summer. I am looking for inexpensive suggestions for hand printing that the students will be doing. If I'm printing by hand (say, to check progress of an image) I use a nice slick wooden spoon. How well does that Speedball nylon covered baren work? The spoons can take awhile to get into good shape. What do you all think, as I try to confirm my supply list?" TyRuS ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V22 #2095 *****************************