[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 22 September 1999 Volume 08 : Number 715 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marco Flavio Marinucci Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 08:55:23 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5945] Re: Baren Digest V8 #714 Dave, thank you for the color link; it happens to be a topic I am devoting a lot of time to. I have two books to suggest for people who may want to investigate further: a) "Color and human response" by Faber Birren; an exceptional book on perception and psychological response to color how its harmonies and dissonances are perceived. b) "Blue and yellow don't make green" which has some excellent techniques to understand color mixing (invaluable for woodblock printmakers, I think) and explains color and light interaction as nowhere else. I was really impressed and have been using it for quite a while now. Hey Greg in Kampala, this explains a lot of what we were talking about during the workshop, there are no 3 primary colors but at least 6. Every primary tending to cool or warm, hence it works. There is no neutral yellow, red or blue. PS Has anybody found Naburo's phone number in Canada? I need to buy wood from him. Grazie, Marco Flavio ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 12:46:04 EDT Subject: [Baren 5946] Re: Baren Digest V8 #713 > is methyl cellulose similar to pva (polyvinyl acetate, I think) Barbara: I don't know about others, but I tried Createx once and don't like it! Susan Rostow's inks, which are the "Akua colors" that you got through McClain's, can be used for monoprinting or woodblock (or possibly other types of printing?). as for the rives unevenly taking the moisture, I know what you mean, try not to dampen the paper too much, also if I put it between blotters & plastic & w/a couple of books on top for a while it keeps it from buckling too much - I think you'll have better luck w/Stonehenge paper, even though it's not as nice & soft as Rives. best to all, Sarah ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 17:55:45 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5950] newshtuff New works and old but newly scanned drawings: http://www.printmakingstudio.com/latest.html (hmmm, they are just the right size for Exchage #3, aren't they...) http://www.printmakingstudio.com/draw1.html And exhibitions coming up: http://www.printmakingstudio.com/exhibit.html Better get back to the studio and make some more. Regards everyone and apologies to those who are on all the mailing lists. Just remember, redundancy redundancy is is a a wonderful wonderful thing thing bye bye Maria-ia-ia-ia ps, comments and critiques always appreciated Maria Arango ------------------------------ From: Wanda Robertson Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 20:54:02 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5951] Re: Exchange #3 Hello everyone! We have our two replacements for exchange #3. A big thank-you to BHearn, and to Amanda Yopp for jumping in here. They are replacing Phil Bivins and Petrina Perretti. Is there a way to change the list on woodblock.com to reflect that, Dave? Thanks so much for starting this list - and the exchanges! Wanda ------------------------------ From: James G Mundie Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 00:08:49 -0400 Subject: [Baren 5952] sharpening alternatives Alright, hear me out. This may sound crazy, but... A while ago I was watching a Chinese cookery program and the fellow on the show suggested that in order to sharpen large knives, the quickest and easiest thing to do was to turn over a ceramic dish and drag the edge of the blade over the unglazed surface. He used a terra cotta dish like one would put under a flower pot to demonstrate. I tried this for myself on a rather large cleaver and was surprised to see how well it worked. In principle, the same could be done with woodblock tools. So, before you go out and purchase an expensive stone, you might like to root through your cupboards and give the crockery a whirl. It might be just the thing for dressing a recently honed edge just before cutting. Mise le meas, James Mundie ------------------------------ From: Wanda Robertson Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 22:00:28 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5953] Re: H. Yoshida book for sale > There is an important hanga book for sale on eBAY: > "Japanese Woodblock Printing" by Hiroshi Yoshida, Sanseido, 1939. Did anyone go check the price this book went for? It sold for $563.00, with 21 bids on it. Wanda ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 19:09:57 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5954] Re: H. Yoshida book for sale I think I'll just read Dave's copy for free. Thanks, Dave! Jack ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 22:40:10 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5955] Re: sharpening alternatives James wrote.... >I tried this for myself on a rather large cleaver and was surprised to >see how well it worked. I have done this with a hunting knive when skinning. Left the stone at home and this camp had old crockery and the underside seemed just the thing to put an edge back on the knife. However...... it sharpens the blade more that hones it. The 4000 grit stone leaves you tools with a surface the is mirror like. THAT is sharp. Did the crockery you used do this James or did it infact sharpen and restore an edge. Graham ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 16:35:32 +0900 Subject: [Baren 5956] Re: H. Yoshida book for sale Wanda wrote, re the Yoshida book: > It sold for $563.00, with 21 bids on it. and Jack wrote: > I think I'll just read Dave's copy for free. Dave doesn't _have_ a copy! This one is still on my personal 'want' list. There's a copy in Yamada's place here, but it's a bit stained, and they want 45,000 for it, which I have been thinking is a bit high. It seems though, that I had better adjust my thinking ... *** Part-time worker Ichikawa-san came over this morning and took away the sixth surimono print, along with all the 'fixings' (the essays, the materials for making the packaging, etc.) ... The next I hear about it will be when I start to get mail from the collectors "Got it!" ... Each time I watch her car drive away I simply feel 'there goes another one', but this time, because the printing took so long, I found myself hoping that she wouldn't have an accident on the way home! And of course, #7 has begun; this one will only have around eight impressions, but one of them will be a bit 'special'. A few weeks ago I made a visit to a 'decorative paper' craftsman, to try and learn something of the techniques of decorating paper with flakes of gold leaf and gold dust. He was really open, and gave me a personal demonstration of how he does it. This next print should be a chance to apply what I learned ... Dave ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 22:43:58 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5957] Re: H. Yoshida book for sale > Dave doesn't _have_ a copy! This one is still on my personal 'want' > list. But there it is, on the Baren web site! I've seen it! I've read it! Oh, that must have been a borrowed copy? Well, having it on the site is good enough, especially at the going rate for a hardcopy. Jack ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 22:58:22 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5958] Re: H. Yoshida book for sale David Bull wrote: > Part-time worker Ichikawa-san came over this morning and took away the > sixth surimono print, along with all the 'fixings' (the essays, the > materials for making the packaging, etc.) ... I took a look over at your site to see that sixth of your surimono series. What a surprise it is! It's so much more detailed than the other prints of Zeshin that I was used to, and much "tighter" than his prints that I had the opportunity to view with you at the Honolulu Academy. But, there on that tiny island, floating out in the ocean, is Zeshin's distinctive brushwork. All very nicely done, Dave, even embossed the book pages! Was that on the original? Jack ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 18:59:41 +0900 Subject: [Baren 5959] Re: H. Yoshida book ... Jack wrote: > But there it is, on the Baren web site! I've seen it! I've read it! All I have is a photocopy I'm afraid! That's why the illustrations on those web pages are so poor. If it was one of you [Baren] members who scooped up that copy at Ebay last week ... I'd like to talk to you! *** > even embossed the book pages! Was that on the original? Yep. Unlike some of those Surimono prints in my album, this one is a straight reproduction - I've altered nothing but the dimensions (and of course, I've taken out the 'gutter' in the middle where the two separate pages of the original butted together ...) Making a _true_ reproduction is a lot harder than making my own 'version' of an old print. I have to remember not to 'add' anything of my own, just 'follow the instructions'. I'm also doing another little bit of carving these days that is even stricter - not a reproduction of an old print, but a contemporary design by somebody else. This is a completely new experience for me, and I'm finding it quite strange - I have to carve _exactly_ what I see. The old guys like Ito-san would laugh their head off if they could hear me say this, because they spent their entire life 'following instructions', but I'm quite feeling like I have a 'straight-jacket' on ... Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V8 #715 ***************************