[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Saturday, 25 September 1999 Volume 08 : Number 718 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Horacio" Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:58:17 -0300 Subject: [Baren 5980] Re:vandercook I enjoyed very much your prints at MariaÕs web page. I think that the big 'Storyteller' could be even more beautiful in black & white. I found some Eric Gill influence in your work, right? Horatio from Rio/Brazil ------------------------------ From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:21:14 -0400 Subject: [Baren 5981] Re: Baren Digest V8 #717 Thanks for the nice comments on the book, "Frieda". Tomorrow night is the party at a restaurant in Danbury, Connecticut and she will receive the book then. We leave early this afternoon, and won't be back until Sunday night. *** John, I like your prints on Maria's website. They are illustrative and the design is strong. You get very nice balancing shapes within your images. What wood do you use? Gayle ------------------------------ From: mmflavio Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 08:28:03 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5982] Re: Baren Digest V8 #717 Great work, Gayle. It is nice to see people care for their elders; you do not see enough of that around... Marco Flavio ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 08:44:05 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5983] Re: assorted Wanda, thanks for the Lark info, certainly an awesome opportunity. Wow, Gayle, I am so impressed! Those are beautiful images. RE: MURAL I posted the names of the contributor's of the mural (http://www.printmakingstudio.com/mural.html) and already made an oops; if you contributed and I forgot you or viceversa, I beg your forgiveness and will you please e-mail me off list or scold me publicly, whichever makes you feel better. RE: PAPER AND LARGER THAN LIFE Looks like Daryl and I are thinking about doing a large print (full sheet of ply 4'x8') as a collaboration project. If anyone has experience in such a project, please e-mail off list so as not to revive the car-prints "tonterias" (loosely translatated to "silly stuff"). We will also be looking for paper in that size or someone who makes such monsters. I think I remember seeing in the Encyclopedia, but for obvious reasons, I would like to find a US papermaker. Any and all info is appreciated. Yes, I think we're pretty serious about this large format undertaking. RE: CONSERVATION QUESTION I am experimenting with printing on cherrywood veneer with oil inks. The stuff is paper-thin and fragile so I am going to try sizing it heavily OR putting a coating of inert glue on the back to hold it together OR suggestions???? There is also the veneer that comes in rolls and already has backing adhesive paper, but am afraid the adhesive might be long-term harmful to the image? Any help is appreciated. 5 working days left to "the plunge" Health to all, Maria ------------------------------ From: Wanda Robertson Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:54:26 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5986] Re:vandercook > Some of my prints can now be found on Maria Arango's site @ > http://www.printmakingstudio.com Excellent John! I really like the "Love Can be a Bridge" print. So lyrical & poetic. Beautiful. Thanks to Maria for letting us see these people's work! Wanda ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 13:00:56 -0500 Subject: [Baren 5988] re: basswood Great work John!, I think you mentioned Gill in your postings before......there seems to be a very nice Gill-like quality to your work. You have a great sense of composition, love the B&W. Give us more ! Hi Maria.........what's the "taking the plunge" ? Did I miss something ? Regarding basswood rounds I asked about on an earlier posting (those small end-grain rounds with bark on the edges sold at hobby shops for wood-burning craft) I finally got to play around the other night. Because of the fine end-grain cut I had no problems carving a great deal of detail on the block in every direction with absolutely no tears. The engraving tools cut thru the wood with ease regardless of line direction. I used a small graver (lozenge shaped tip) tool. One problem I did have was that I failed to sand the block beyond 400 grit and to coat it with some varnish like Graham does to his woodblocks. The end result was that the ring pattern on the block printed thru on the paper (hand rubbed) as a soft background to the main image. The blocks come already finely sanded, but obviously not enough ! What do you think Graham ? Would a coat of varnish help here ? I enjoyed being able to do quick work on the end-grain wood (almost like free-style sketching) and the rounds are big enough ( 6 X 8") and thick enough to engrave on both sides. Thanks.....Julio ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 08:34:44 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5989] Re: assorted Maria wrote: > I am experimenting with printing on cherrywood veneer with oil inks. If you sized the veneer on the front, or put glue on the back, it will curl itself up into a roll due to the difference in shrinkage between the front and back. Anything that you apply to it would have to be applied evenly to both sides. Also, I don't think that glue or sizing alone will give the veneer much cross grain strength in the long run, it will still be able to split along the grain easily. The veneer that comes in rolls that I am familiar with has a paper backing, but no adhesive on it (except for that which sticks it to the veneer). Although this would be far more stable mechanically than unbacked veneer, I can find no information on the characteristics of the paper or glue. I have had some scraps of this paper backed veneer around for close to 20 years, and it seems to be just fine. I suppose that you could back some veneer yourself with paper and adhesives to your liking, but it might take a fair amount of experimentation to get the expansion/shrinkage rates matched for the wood and paper. Jack ------------------------------ From: Bella1yopp@aol.com Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 16:58:57 EDT Subject: [Baren 5990] Re: Baren Digest V8 #717 Gayle, The book is beautiful. Great bookmaking and what a treasure to give (and receive) John, I really enjoyed viewing your pieces. I love the simpleness of your piece "Untitled." Design and composition does seem very important in your work. I always love a good border (in complete seriousness). - -Amanda Yopp Tucson, AZ ------------------------------ From: John Ryrie Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1999 08:19:58 +1000 Subject: [Baren 5991] Re:vandercook Thank you Wandea, Julio, Amanda, Georga & Gayle for your cements. I use mostly ply wood about 1.5 cm thick this isn't my choice of wood it is very hard to fined good wood hear. recently I have been able to get some Huon pine and a small piece of pear. The exchange #3 is on huon pine. The large print Storyteller is on custom wood this was an experiment that I won't be trying again because this wood worps when it's cut making it very difficult to register the colours on the etching press. John Ryrie Maria Arango / invited artists http://www.printmakingstudio.com ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 17:36:39 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5993] Re: basswood > The >end result was that the ring pattern on the block printed thru on the paper >(hand rubbed) as a soft background to the main image. >What do you think Graham ? Would a coat of varnish help here ? I think it is to late for the varnish to solve the problem. Your block should be the smoothness you want before your start. I suspect that the ring pattern would not be solved with sanding and varnish. The nature of the soft wood will result in rings. It seems you have come upon some large rounds of basswood and the grain is such that it will show no matter how much sanding. I have never heard to basswood being used for wood engravings. Wood engraving plates are done with harder and very tight grain wood. Maple, Birch Cherry, Boxwood, and Dogwood are the ones that come to mind. As far as I know the plate is made up of several pieces of small diameter (cut square) and glued together. This is not easy to do as the seams can show it not accurately.... like ACCURATELY ...cut and glued under heavy pressure. This is then sanded and sanded and sanded down with the 120 down to 600 grit emery paper. Vanished and sanded when still wet with the 600 grit. Regards, Graham Create an image that makes use of the rings of the wood. It could be an interesting challenge. ------------------------------ From: John Ryrie Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1999 17:12:34 +1000 Subject: [Baren 5994] Re: perl ink? A few years back I sew a woodcut that was a resent re-cut of a Utamaro print. It was of a woman and the background colour of her kimono was printed in mother of pearl. Is this commonly used? I haven't seen this anywhere else, dose any body know how this is achieved? Is the shell ground to make pigment that is then used in the normal way? or is it applied more like you would use gold leaf? John Ryrie ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V8 #718 ***************************