Baren Digest Tuesday, 20 February 2001 Volume 14 : Number 1327 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Maria Arango" Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 17:02:29 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13495] Russian birch and cork A report on Yuri's Russian birch. Yuuuuuuuummmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh, sorry, was that outloud? This is unlike any Baltic birch I have ever cut. I have been working with cherry and maple and swore that I would never go back to that stringy-splintery-soft stuff. But this Russian birch is totally different. I am working on a 24" x 36" block and I had just sharpened my knives for a particularly hard piece of cherrywood (rather large 13" x 22"). Anyhow, I started to cut this birch and it was unbelievable how easily my knives sliced through the stuff. You have to know that I rarely use my toh (rarely use my toe either, but that's another story), and I attack my woodblocks with earnest and fun and chisels and gouges directly, a la Hollowitz. Here are the points that I found different from the Baltic I will never use again and my newly found love, Russian birch: - - much easier to cut, with, against, at angles to the grain; there is really no difference in "feel" when changing directions; my chisels were waltzing on this stuff smooooothly - - less stringy surface, also it came nicely sanded on both sides - - since all layers are birch, there was also no splintering when going "down" into the wood, I couldn't tell that I cut through one layer or two - - no cracks in any layers so far, and this is a large block Since I will be using the dremmel on parts of this block (GASP!) I will report on that when I get there. Cork was the subject of an article in the last Printmaking Today journal. I felt a bit vindicated because I have been using it to achieve texture. The print in the Parkside exhibit was done on cork. Glad to see I'm not totally mad. Hand coloring of prints has a long tradition, I believe, in both Japanese and European printmaking history. For oil based prints, a bit of oil ink thinned with your favorite medium will blend in nicely. For water base prints I would probably use watercolors. That's all. I bought a trailer today, it's so cute! I'm officially a street-artist, peddling-print season starts in March and this year I'm hitting 6 different states on the West coast. On the road again... Health to all, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: "eli griggs" Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 20:47:41 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13496] stuff Thanks for the info of mixing size from Knox Gelatine, Darrell, Bea. Round tooth picks are good for making very small round inserts on a block. The tapered shape allows for a small range of sizes too. I just got hold of some Caran D'Ache Neocolor II Crayons tonight and wonder if anyone has tried to use these for back colouring prints or directly applying these to blocks for white line printmaking? How about watercolour pencils? Eli Griggs Charlotte N.C. USA ------------------------------ From: Lawrence Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 15:57:22 +1100 Subject: [Baren 13497] Re:Australian Native Woods Tasmanian Myrtle is gorgeous for wood engraving. ------------------------------ From: amanda yopp Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 20:58:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 13498] Let's go back in time to Exchange#3 Help! I have to redo my resume and I was wondering if anyone had information on the show(s) using Exchange#3. Due to computer meltdown I lost all my resume exhibit info and have to rely on an outdated resume. Thanks for your help! - -Amanda PS Anyone out there from ASU? ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 21:06:49 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13499] wood I used cherrywood for a trial of a reduction print I am planning to use for Exchange #9. It was a bad idea and very hard on my knives because I was using cherry heart wood. It was a beautiful red colored cherry wood. The better cherry wood is lighter in color. I think I will throw the rest of it away before I am tempted to try it again. The salesman tried to tell me, but do you think I listened? Not! Eli, the recipe for size is in J. Walter Philips Book online at http://www.sharecom.ca/phillips/technique.html, in Chapter 3. As for warping boards, it helps to wet the other side of the board when you are printing, so they both expand and cancel each other out. Jean http://www.jeaneger.com ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 21:10:27 -1000 Subject: [Baren 13500] Re: cherry wood In answer to the differences in cherry, there are lots of different species of cherry all over the world. The Prunus family (which includes plums and, I think, apricots) still grows wild on several continents, and has been domesticated into hundreds of varieties. Also, the environment that a certain tree grows in, soil, annual rainfall, temperature ranges, sunlight, all combine to create different qualities of wood. That being said, Japanese cherry (Prunus japonica) is generally slightly harder than both European cherry (prunus avium) and American cherry (Prunus serotina), and has a finer, straighter grain with less texture, just the thing for Dave's blocks! The question about winter/summer wood was a good one, so I looked into it. I too used to think that it had to do with little or no growth during winter, but then had to re-think that here in Hawaii, where, I assure you, trees do have annual rings. Turns out that the exact same specie of tree, for example an evergreen, can grow in widely varying environments. In it's northern range, it's growth season will be in the spring, and it grows very little in the winter, when the ground water freezes. A little farther south, the growing season will be in winter, when the soil is soaked by the snow pack, but not frozen. In another area, it will have two growing seasons, in the spring, and at the end of summer when seasonal rains come. They will all lay down the one ring of soft and hard wood per year. And trees that grow in the tropics, with little variation in weather all year round, also lay down annual growth rings. It seems to be a growth characteristic hardwired into all trees, and not dependent on seasonal variations. And Georgia, if you have gotten this far, Tyvec is the brand name of a paper like product made up of high density polyethylene spun bonded from long continuous fibers. It is almost impossible to tear, and comes in a number of finishes and weights. It is used to "wrap" houses before the final siding is applied, as an air barrier. It is also used in packaging (such as those really tuff Fed Express envelopes), disposable safety clothing, etc., etc. Jack R. ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 21:17:03 -1000 Subject: [Baren 13501] Re: Mildew When you say you are having problems with mildew, do you mean those little all over brown spots generally known as "foxing", or something different? Do you know if it is starting during printing, drying, or storage of the completed prints? Are you refrigerating or freezing your paper between color runs? How are you drying and flattening your prints? Once you can pinpoint the start of the problem, it will be much easier to solve it. Jack R. Jeanne Norman Chase wrote: ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 23:30:26 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13502] Blocks and more blocks Thank you Maria and Jack for your insight into wood. However I have just purchased a sheet of MDF, 1/2" material and cut my = first print on it and sent it to the SwapShop. MDF stands for medium density fiberboard, I think. It's a smooth flat = material used in building, quite unlike masonite. So your local hardware = store has it for you. It's wonderful for cutting "woodblocks". I've just used oil based ink on it, but I think water based ink will = work as well. Anyway it's something to check out, if you haven't already. And for a = 4'by8' sheet it was only $17.50 here in the NW. Happy cutting. Philip Hammond, OR USA ------------------------------ From: Sunnffunn@aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 02:50:52 EST Subject: [Baren 13503] Re: lead pigments etc In my opinion all materials should be handled with caution, even those we think of as non toxic. One can never be too careful, clean up well and wash up well and watch out for fumes by working in ventilated areas. Only then can we be certain of safety. Marilynn ------------------------------ From: Sunnffunn@aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 03:02:57 EST Subject: [Baren 13504] Re: winter and stuff Interesting that the donation subject should come up. I am such a giver i do not think about the amount a donated piece might sell for, I just donate. But my husband said to me the other day when i considered a donation, " how will you feel if this piece sells for a very small amount?" In other words will these people truly value what they receice? At this point I decided not to donate any art to this group as I feel they would not appreciate it. But I do donate a piece every year to a ladies dinner where all the tickets are sold for a dollar each or 6 for five dollars. Every year the person who has won my art piece has told me how much they love it and where they have hung it and how they are so very pleased to own a piece I have done. That makes it worth the donation. We also draw for a very expensive piece of jewelry, so there are many things going for less than they are worth if you were to price them but the cause is dear to me. I think this is a very individual thing and you have to decide in your heart if the money that will be raised is for a worthy cause and if the people who will be winning or buying your work will cherish it. Personally I would rather give a piece of work to some one who would cherish having it then worry about the monies involved. It is the love of ownership that makes me want to give my work away. Marilynn ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 23:20:14 -1000 Subject: [Baren 13505] Re: Blocks and more blocks. If you get MDF wet, it puffs up all ugly lumpy and falls apart pretty quickly, so you better stick to oil. Jack R. Philip Smith wrote: > Thank you Maria and Jack for your insight into wood.However I have > just purchased a sheet of MDF, I've just used oil based ink on it, but > I think water based ink will work as well. ------------------------------ From: =?iso-8859-1?q?dimitris=20grammatikopulos?= Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 02:58:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 13506] hand-painting B&W Dear gail, hand-painting with water-colour B&W prints is something I do most of the time. Although I'd rather have my prints B&W as they are... Regards, Dimitris ------------------------------ From: Lawrence Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 22:18:16 +1100 Subject: [Baren 13507] Re: Blocks and more blocks. Coat it with shellac, let it dry, ink it, varnish may work also but then again it may not ;-P Note: I haven't tried shellac with water based inks however... Regards L ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v14 #1327 *****************************