[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Monday, 22 November 1999 Volume 09 : Number 792 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Stones" Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 01:44:33 +0900 Subject: [Baren 6753] Re: Down time .. Dear All, Dave B asked me what we do in Aichi (south of Dave's area) regarding the red dots for the sale of prints in an exhibition - I missed Julio's question on this. As my last show's just finished (with things going very well - sometimes too much so) it's just the time to answer. I follow the system of putting small red dots (about 3/16" or 5mm across NOT huge blobs) in a special area of the title card - Here I'll briefly add to the computer discussion... my inkjet machine prints out nice, clear, bi-lingual title cards that sell my hand-made woodblock prints - and that's where the computer "cooperation" ends in the gallery. I also add, in very light grey, a small row of "dot spaces" to make the red dots look neater. Anyway, these dots do mount up below some prints and, as not a few buyers here follow what's been sold as a guide to what's "the best", irrespective of whether it is or not in their view, these red dots can deflect interest in other work. I do not, under any circumstances, allow dots to be used to encourage sales but know some galleries do this. At the last show some prints did seem to be in "too popular" mode so we just moved them to "quieter"areas (but even then, the dots increased beyond expectations!). The dots provide me with a constant record of how things are going and help plan the stock (which we make up in the evening) available but here, unlike as Dave B described, I deviate from the pre-wrapped idea. Prints are not pre-wrapped and people can (prefer) to buy the print on the wall - if they wish, a backup one is shown for comparison. My prints are never exactly the same, despite being the same design, so this prevents people getting, for whatever reason, a "different" work to what interests them or that they've never actually seen. The dots, therefore, record the number of each print sold of an edition at the ongoing show. For "reserved" prints, some people use deep blue dots but in the tight economic situation here, later delivery is bypassed and people take the work right home, if they wish, or it's stored. A discrete notice is also at the entrance to explain the dots (and this disappears as soon as any print has two dots) as many people, mostly used to seeing original paintings etc. DO make the mistake that the "only" print has been sold. This system works in this part of Japan, where no buyer will ask prices or questions re buying a work. (The price list at the door idea presents its own problems for small prints in a sometimes crowded space). The dots help... all I need is somebody to tell me how staff can, as they put a dot below a print, politely counter "Oh no, it's gone!" Ishita (David S) ------------------------------ From: Mary Krieger Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:50:01 -0600 Subject: [Baren 6754] Red dots in N.A. Dear all Red dots are used to indicate sold work here as well. A recent experience.. At the last Art Expo, I had two prints of one image for sale, one framed and the other shrinkwrapped. I hung the framed piece up and indicated two prices on the label, one framed and one unframed. The framed piece sold the first evening of the show and I put a red dot beside the framed price. The customer was happy to wait for delivery until after the show was over. The next day someone asked about the unframed one and I took it out from behind the table and sold it to her. I them put a red dot beside the unframed price. I really like the idea of adding faint circles to indicate the available impressions. Maybe I can work that in next time! Mary Krieger Winnipeg, MB Canada ------------------------------ From: Vollmer/Yamaguchi Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 17:40:17 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Baren 6756] Ars longa, vita brevis Thank you Greg, thank you Maria for your succinct analyses of the situation (phttteeewy)! Glad you got those kids to bed and could join us for a moment. Nice to hear from Michael, too! Okay, okay, woodblock is still the best! April Vollmer ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 18:20:20 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6757] Re: Ars longa, vita brevis On that note, I uploaded my latest "ars" http://www.mariarango.com/gallery11/bgoldsilver.html I am planning on making more on this vessel series. The theme sort of goes along with what we have been discussing in Baren: everyone lives in their own world, let's call it a "vessel." We relate to each other, we come together, we talk...but ultimately, we all have our own comfortable cramped little vessels where we enjoy living, empty space between. May your vessels be comfy and warm, Maria ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 21:45:48 -0600 Subject: [Baren 6758] Re: Red dots Thanks to all for your info on red dots and proper gallery protocol...... Sorry to hear about your accident Barbara, hope you ge tback on your feet soon. Welcome Stella and other newcomers........glad to have you back Michael S. David S.......been meaning to ask you about your double-sided prints you referred to a while back, maybe I will send you a private...... Maria....nice work on your latest...... Ju........ ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 23:25:49 -0800 Subject: [Baren 6760] sore ankle and printing Graham and Dave and any other experts out there, I am contemplating my next print and wondering if it is better to print layers over each other or to butt the colors up. In my monotypes I have always layered the colors, sometimes with five or six over each other. In translating this to woodblock, I find the paper got too wet. Is there a solution to this? Should I let the paper dry between printing so many colors? The paper did not bleed, even with five layers of color but did get too wet. How would you avoid this? I really like working with transparent layers as that is what I am used to doing. Help. Thanks, Barbara ------------------------------ From: michael schneider Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 10:29:49 +0100 Subject: [Baren 6761] Re: sore ankle and printing Good to hear that your ankle is better now. Concerning the wet paper. A lot depends on how you print. Usually, you only wet the paper once and you keep it in this state until printing with all plates is finished. Sure you add water with the pigments, but too much water is the enemy of a good print( at least in classical printing). With transparent layers, I believe it is important, to get the transparency by using less pigment, and not more water. These are my suggestions, hope it is useful, michael schneider ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 18:28:32 +0900 Subject: [Baren 6762] Re: The layered look ... John wrote: > At last I have got rid of the virus. Sorry Dave and every > one else for bringing the virus back. Nice to hear you're 'clean' ... sorry for shouting at you the other day! *** Barbara asked: > I have always layered the colors, sometimes with five or > six over each other. In translating this to woodblock, I > find the paper got too wet. Is there a solution to this? > Should I let the paper dry between printing so many colors? Provided you have a paper with lots of good 'body' (like our favourite 'hosho'), you can layer away until the cows come home, and it won't give up. It should be 'rested' though between applying each layer - a couple of hours is best. When I'm doing a run of a couple of hundred, the paper gets this rest automatically. When you're proofing though, or printing a short run, the paper _can_ get a bit too soggy in areas of overlaid colour. I made only 35 copies of the print for Exchange #3, so had to face this problem. The print has 31 impressions in total, and in some areas there must be seven or eight stacked up on top of each other. When I made it, I tried wherever possible to avoid following one impression with another immediately on top of it - doing one impression on area 'a', then switching to area 'b' for the next, coming back to 'a' after it had time to settle down a bit ... Another factor is the way you stack your paper after it comes off the block. If you simply stack them one on top of each other, the moisture can build up too much in one area, but if you stack them 'heads and tails', or in a 'crawled' pattern, the moisture has a better chance to equalize. This was touched on in one-point lesson #22 some time ago. Anytime that your paper gets into a bad condition - either too wet or too dry - there is no point in continuing with the work; you will simply waste all your efforts up to that point. Use wet (or dry) newsprint to bring the moisture up (or down) to the proper level. It usually only takes a couple of minutes. *** I've updated the code for the 'Show & Tell' board, so the long pause before it displays on your screen is now a thing of the past. There has also been quite some confusion on just how to add messages and images, so I have posted some instructions and sample snippets of HTML code on the 'Add a Message' page to assist you ... http://woodblock.com Dave ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 07:00:00 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Baren 6764] layering B Mason asked about butting up or layering colors. When butting up, I recall Lu Fang saying you should leave a very slight gap between colors so the color will bleed together and creat a natural line. His method involved damp paper and water colors--not pigments and paste--and so the bleeding always occurred and needed to be skillfully controlled. I expect that in fine Japanese prints the colors actually touch and leave an exact impression. Ray H in Vermont ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V9 #792 ***************************