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

Baren Digest              Wednesday, 14 July 1999      Volume 08 : Number 627

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From: Cucamongie@aol.com
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:12:33 EDT
Subject: [Baren 4935] congratulations 

Congratulations April & Gayle - that's great!
Sarah

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@nacs.net>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:13:28 -0400
Subject: [Baren 4936] Re: Baren Digest V8 #626 

It wasn't just April winning the prize, or me in the show,
but all Baren Exchange #1 members were listed as being
in the KIWA Show.  So hats off to everybody!

Gayle

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 22:59:24 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4937] Size matters ... 

Is this a 'One-point' Lesson?  I don't think that it really qualifies as
one of those ... but there _is_ some information here that may be of use
to some of you ... sometime ...

(It's about paper sizing - so if that's not in your line, then just skip
this one ...)

***

As I've mentioned recently, I've started doing reprints of my poets'
series prints this year, in addition to my new 'surimono' prints.  I
order the paper for all these prints from Ichibei Iwano up in Fukui
Prefecture, and have him make it to the thickness and dimensions that I
need.  I order the paper for the poets prints in batches of 500 o-bosho
sheets at a time.  (Iwano-san tells me that this number is the
traditional quantity for a single order of this kind of paper.)  I cut each
sheet in half to give me 1000 'oban' sheets.

Each box of 500 sheets doesn't come directly to me, but is shipped first
to Mr. Isami Misawa, who sizes it to my specifications before
forwarding it over to me.  He knows the type of prints I will be making
with the paper, and we have discussed many times the way I do my 
printing, so he knows just how 'thin' or 'thick' to make the sizing.  This 
is one of those jobs that looks very simple - just brush on the liquid 
sizing - but has so many variables - gelatine/water balance, alum 
quantity, humidity in the air, thickness of the paper, condition of the 
brush, etc. etc. - that it really needs a great deal of experience to do
properly.

Misawa-san usually sends me paper that is a joy to use.  He's good at
what he does, and I don't have to spend much time worrying about the
sizing in my paper.

But the most recent batch of 500 that showed up was ... different.  For
whatever reason - a mental slip-up, or perhaps trouble with the
ingredients - the sizing was very very thin on these sheets.  When I
first opened the package I thought that perhaps he had shipped them to
me by mistake, and that he hadn't processed them yet ...  But no, closer
inspection showed marks from his large goathair brush.  The sheets were
sized, but oh so very lightly.

Well OK, I've always been 'complaining' to myself about having finished
prints that were stiff and hard from sized paper - here was my chance to
make some nice soft ones ...  So a couple of weeks ago, I chopped 30 of
the sheets in half, ran a batch of 60 prints ... and haven't had this
much trouble with printing since I was a 'beginner'.  Having the back
side of the paper peel off under the baren was easily fixable, just by
using an 'ategami' backing sheet.  But the problem with the _front_ of
the paper was not so easily rectified - the pressure of my baren of
course mashes the paper quite heavily into the wood, and when I peeled
each sheet off the block, many of the kozo fibres remained behind,
tearing away from the body of the paper.

It seemed that the paper was going to be unuseable.  But if I were to
send it back to Misawa-san for resizing, I know what would happen - it
would come back to me extremely 'hard', and it would be impossible to
get smooth impressions on such stiff paper - the colour would be hard
and grainy.

I called up Seki-san, one of the more experienced older printers for
some advice ...  Here are some of his points ...

***

"Soft sizing?  Yeah, that's the way that it _all_ used to be done.  Boy,
it makes beautiful prints!  The way that the modern guys do it now, with
hard brittle paper, swabbing on thick pasty colour, and then mashing
down with the baren ... the results are so ugly ...

But all they think about now is 'time and money'.  They want to get the
job done as quickly as possible, so this is the way that they do it. 
But to really make beautiful and soft, yet deep, colour, the paper
_can't_ be strongly sized.  If it is, you get grainy impressions.  Just
look at some of the old prints and you'll see what I mean - the colour
is so beautifully smooth, you can't believe it.

How did they do it?  Well hey, it's all a question of technique and
skill, you know ...

First off, you can't be in a hurry.  Instead of trying to do everying in
one go - instead of trying to save time - you have to be willing to do
the impressions twice or three times.  Use a much thinner colour, and
don't don't don't mash the paper with the baren.  Print firmly, but with
a light touch.  Then print the same area again.  And if the colour still
isn't deep enough, print it again.  

And _don't_ use one of those modern 'rough' barens with a strong coil,
the kind made specifically for 'tsubushi' colour printing.  Use a coil
made from very finely split strips of bamboo - a very delicate one.  At
first you won't think that such a baren would work for colour printing,
but after you get used to it, and learn how to make the baren work for
you, instead of using raw power, you'll see how it works.

So you've got yourself a box of 500 sheets of paper with soft sizing? 
And right in the middle of the rainy season, when the paper is even more
soft and delicate ...  Well this is the kind of thing that separates the
men from the boys ...  Good luck!"

***

Dave

(I'll let you know next week whether I'm a man or a boy ...)

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From: "Jean Eger" <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:43:54 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4939] 

Hi Flint, where can we see your woodcuts?  I totally agree with you about
expense.  A $1300 baren is absurd, unless you are making your living at it,
which David Bull is doing.  People still admire Gauguin's prints, which were
created with very simple equipment, I think.  Politically incorrect, but
still beautiful in my eyes.

Jean EGer

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From: flint <flint.hahn@ucop.edu>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:07:29 -0700
Subject: [Baren 4940] Re: Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 08:30:39 -0700 

Just starting out, so you won't see too many woodcuts as of now.

I recently took a "refresher" course at the Kala Institute in Berkeley.
Boy, you sure can learn a lot in such a short period. So much information,
so little time. If there was one thing I could say to any beginner: get the
best knives you can afford. I've been using the sub-par student grade
knives you find at any art store for a couple of years now. I think I spend
more time sharpening than actually cutting. But ohh, I got the chance to
use the instructor's knives; we're talking night and day. I can understand
why I bought the cheapo knives though, due in part because I was a starving
college student and I didn't know if I would continue doing woodblock
prints. However, if you don't have to struggle gouging the wood (and
sometimes yourself), you can pay more attention to the image instead. Know
what I'll be picking up today...

Oh yes, there is a mention of Hida Japanese Woodworking Tool Co. in the
encyclopedias link section. They currently, or soon will be, selling more
woodblock printing materials. So far they have knives, barens, and wood.
They will start stocking paper and maybe ink. Address and phone:

	(510) 524-3700
	1333 San Pablo Ave.
	Berkeley, CA

I've also found a source of cherry wood planks in the Bay Area, if any one
is interested.

Flint Hahn

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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:08:27 -0500
Subject: [Baren 4941] Re: Baren Digest V8 #626 

Gayle writes:
"It wasn't just April winning the prize, or me in the show,
but all Baren Exchange #1 members were listed as being
in the KIWA Show.  So hats off to everybody!"

How did that come about ? Was the exchange folio entered ? or did we get some
kind of mention ?
That is great news but I want to know more details......

Regarding old age;

A work of art does not show age, wether a print, a musical composition or a
photograph, the artist's age plays no visible part on the final outcome.
Picasso and Ansel Adams did some of their best work near the end of their lives,
as so did Casals with his conducting and composing. Stradivarius built his best
instruments and more sought after violins after the age of 60. Japanese
printmakers live long & productive lifes as David has mentioned many times.

At 43........I hope to be enjoying my printmaking & photography long into the
future......

Julio

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From: Bea Gold <bnj50@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 10:12:29 -0700
Subject: [Baren 4946] costs  

Thanks Jean - I was thinking about cost of woodcutting and printing - when I was
younger I always went to the lumber yard and picked out a pine board that had an
interesting texture to use for prints - knots were great - and any unusual
texture that would show up in a print - I had them cut it into different lengths
so that I could find a block that interested me to work on.  I used inexpensive
oil paints or inks and as nice a Japanese paper as I could afford and a great
old silver spoon to print.  I just found one series of cuts that I used some
kind of tongue and grove ( pine I think) and probably didn't pay for it.  It's
only about six years ago that I found McClain's and shina. (great for my old
hands but not near as interesting). Now that I'm trying to succeed in hanga the
costs are indeed escalating. Oh well now I can afford it.
My knee is great and I'm looking forward to the left one in September after the
workshop with our illustrious April!  How are you doing?  Bea

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From: Aqua4tis@aol.com
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 15:44:05 EDT
Subject: [Baren 4951] Re: Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 11:47:53 -0700 

bea
   self help graphics is in east LA  on cesar chavez blvd    it was started 
26 years ago bye a franciscan nun  in her garage     sister karen boccalero 
was a printmaker  but she ended up giving up her art to run self help and she 
mentored many artists   its still going strong  
      if youd like to know more email me at:
                                              aqua4tis@aol.com 
                                                               or call me at 
626-336-3461
                                          
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From: Sherpsm@aol.com
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 02:50:01 EDT
Subject: [Baren 4955] Re: Size matters ... 

Dave
I your comments on sizing you mentioned the possible necessity of a 2nd or 
3rd printing of an area. Do you rest the area and continue in the print run 
or do you do the 2nd impression immediately? I read somewhere that if the 
registration is crucial, it might be wise to leave the print in the kento and 
(somehow) recolor and print a 2nd time. DO you have any experience or 
suggestion on this?
 At least you know the difference between well sized paper and that which is 
less desirable. A good sign I believe. Good Luck with your new paper.
Joe 

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End of Baren Digest V8 #627
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