[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest               Tuesday, 24 March 1998       Volume 02 : Number 104

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From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi <jy6@columbia.edu>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 11:02:41 -0400
Subject: [Baren 498] Re: Never use a V! 

Never use a V for hanga! It doesen't leave the same cut line at the bottom
of the cut to catch the moisture of the pigment. (Even if you aren't trying
to reproduce ukiyo-e.)

Traditionally a knife (to) was used everywhere to outline all color areas,
and I find it is the most useful and sensitive of tools. U-gouges were used
to clear away areas from around the to lines, never to be seen in their own
right. And when I have used them for texture, they do not print as easily
or clearly as marks made by the to, for the same reason: no deep cuts and
no sharp edges in the wood to hold moist color.

For hanga, traditional cutting techniques work best because printing is so
sensitive. You really have to learn how to print before you can understand
how to cut: for a good print, they must be bound together.

April Vollmer

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 10:23:36 -0800
Subject: [Baren 499] Re: Never use a V! 

The statements below are not a good approach to creativity. If you are
trying to copy exactly what has been done in the past them I suppose you
must.

April wrote;
>Never use a V for hanga! It doesen't leave the same cut line at the bottom
>of the cut to catch the moisture of the pigment. (Even if you aren't trying
>to reproduce ukiyo-e.)

Dave wrote;
>For me though (_everybody_ else on this list will groan in disgust as
>they read this), if one can see the 'wood' in the finished print - it
>means you've screwed up.  If one can see the 'knife' in the finished
>print - it means you've screwed up.  In this style of work, the wood and
>tools are just 'means to an end' - the reproduction of the original
>design; they are not tools for creating 'art'.

I feel there may be some newbies at this sport and think it is important
that they can and should push the technique to suit there personalities.
Let me tell you a little story.

When I was a young lad working in the packaging industry and learning the
art of structural design for folding cartons.   A very creative business
yet much restrictions because of the limitations of producing something
traditionally on box making equipment. At that time I wanted to know
everything there was to know about the equipments,limitations and
possiblilities.

My boss, Bill, took me aside and said I should concentrate on the creative
process and let the techies worry about whether the equipment can handle
it.  His point was, if the limitations of equipment or of the people
operating them was to govern, then creativity will be stifled.  Create it
and get the techies to find away to make it work.  As a result we designed
many innovative and creative packages which required the techies and
engineers to design or modify equipment to produced them.

So you can see that my approach to this sport is...yes know the techniques
but don't let it stifle your creative energies.

Make It Work For You Don't You Work For It.

If Picasso had not broken the rules he may have only progessed to the
generic graphite drawing stage.

This is father Scholes signing off.

Graham

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From: Blueman <blueman@pantek.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 17:17:37 -0500
Subject: [Baren 500] Re: Baren Digest V2 #103 

Baren,

When Dave asked:
>    Do you have any of this stuff up on
> the web where we can get a peek at it?
I debated whether to show you because I know
you'll  be disappointed compared to what you do.
However, if you want to look, I can give you the
address.  This is a bookcover and was taken from
a computer image that I tried to redesign into a 
rustic looking doorway and then added a world 
outside the door in the night sky.  The colors show
up dull on the website where it appears.  I printed
on brown paper and used Dr. Martin's Radiant 
Concentrated Water Color to hand color it.  
We were trying to get as far away from the 
original computer image as we could.  

So here it is, It's the third bookcover to appear 
in the line that downloads:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3716/writing.html

Now keep in mind, this color is not as it should be.  It 
appears much too yellow.  Remember I printed on brown, and
there are touches of blue that don't show at all.  The door itselt
is a sort of Indian Red in reality.

> It certainly seems that I am thus the worst possible choice for a person
> to be hosting a woodblock printmaking discussion forum like [Baren]! 

I think you're a good host. That's why I feel welcome.   It's like
home here, and there's all that great stuff we get to learn!!  

Gayle

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From: David Bull <davebull@asahi-net.email.ne.jp>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 08:26:36 +0900
Subject: [Baren 501] Re:  Never use a V! 

Graham wrote:
> So you can see that my approach to this sport is...yes know the techniques
> but don't let it stifle your creative energies.

Nice to hear from you!  I thought that you were perhaps hibernating 
for the winter over there.  [Baren] members have been in floods in 
California, tornadoes in Florida, and giant snowstorms in Kansas ...
Are you getting 'rained out' this year ...?

I very much like your use of the word 'sport' in that quote.  

Enjoyed your story about the packaging ...   How did get out of that
and into woodblock printmaking?  What started you off on this stuff?

Everybody:
I note that Graham's web site is showing 9935 visitors ...   Maybe 
Graham is going to give some kind of special prize to number 10,000???

After nine months up on the web, my own site has only pulled about a 
quarter of this.  But I guess that's what woodblock printmaking is
about ...          Slow ... but steady, I think.

*****

This talk about 'V' gouges reminds me that I still need a bit of
assistance from [Baren] members in preparing the FAQ on the [Baren]
Home Page.  There is a question there about a basic tool set:

What is a minimum set of cutting tools for the basic woodblock printmaker?

I have answered only half of it - the type of tools used in the
Japanese tradition.  I need some info from somebody else about a more
'modern' basic set of tools.

*****

Gayle,
Thanks for showing us the print, and please don't be so apologetic
about it.  I'm a bit confused by your description of the involvement
of the computer in this print.  How did you get the design onto the
wood surface?

Dave

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End of Baren Digest V2 #104
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