[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 25 March 1998 Volume 02 : Number 105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Blueman Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 08:44:57 -0500 Subject: [Baren 502] Re: Baren Digest V2 #104 Baren, Maybe I'll take Graham's advice and try the watercolor method with the woodblocks I've cut to use with oil ink; (those I've already made of the quilt square for my friend's book on her grandmother's quilts.) Graham's suggestion to new persons was to not feel limited by the rules of the sport. I like that because that's the type of person I am in art. I like to try stuff. But I will also be cautious and take April's advice to heart because it sounds important enough a warning: > 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, You asked in reference to the computer imaged design that was on Grace Butcher's web page: > How did you get the design onto the > wood surface? The computer image was given to me by Grace Butcher after she collaborated with the publisher. They were going through a file of images and chose that one. Later she wished she hadn't because in the mail came an ad with that very design. She said, "There was that darn door again!" So next time we plan to do something fresh (that's if I get to do her next cover). Anyway I just traced it on the wood, inked it with marker and let my tools do their thing. I tried it different ways. I thought she might like it as a line drawing and not a woodcut. She chose the woodcut I think because it had a crooked charm that the perfect drawing didn't have. I want so to try a Japanese knife. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown) Date: 24 Mar 98 19:16:20 EST Subject: [Baren 503] Heat Baren, Heating up here a bit, I like it a lot! Actually I'm with Graham: "never say never", "rules are made to be broken", etc., but it is often so helpful to hear about some of the 'rules' as one goes along merrily breaking them. And I hope there will be more discussion about carving. Gayle, for myself I use a Japanese-made knife available from Japan Woodworker and a little set of those little USA-made micro gouges (round gouges in various sizes) for nearly all my work. One of the main reasons for this arrangement is the fact this is a 'kit' I can carry in my pocket. Though I have a large shop with bench vises, etc. my role as parent of two little kids means much of my carving happens at the kitchen table. Matt ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 23:48:08 -0800 Subject: [Baren 504] Re: Never use a V! Dave wrote: >Nice to hear from you! I thought that you were perhaps hibernating >for the winter over there. .....Are you getting 'rained out' this year ...? We always put on our web feet during the winter here on the Island. Actually Dave I have been hard at it in the studio. It seems that I have been working an 8 day week since Xmas. I have got 3 new pieces done and a fourth on the table as I write. I will be sticking hard at it until at least May when I will ease off a little. The web feet come off and I have promised myself some time to smell the roses. >I very much like your use of the word 'sport' in that quote. If I called it work I would hate doing it. (<: >Enjoyed your story about the packaging ... How did get out of that >and into woodblock printmaking? What started you off on this stuff? I left the business world 22 years ago and thought I would do something more creative. I worked to the middle management level and just was not my cup of tea. So quite, actually, got myself fired so I could get a severance package. Started painting in watercolours and one thing lead to the next to the next etc, etc and 5 years ago got bored doing watercolours. I wanted a legitimate way to get into the Multiple Image Business. For a 60th birthday present I went back to school and learned woodblock printmaking. So here I am a senior citizen playing like hell and enjoying every minute. >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??? I wonder who will be the lucky winner!!!! >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. I do a lot of linking with many other sites. This helps but is time consuming. However it get lots of traffic but people don't buy art on the net. At least not from my site. Does anybody here have results. >I need some info from somebody else about a more 'modern' basic set of tools. I use only the traditional tools. Don't believe that other kinds of tools would be any better than the best. Graham ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V2 #105 ***************************