Baren Digest Saturday, 16 February 2002 Volume 18 : Number 1722 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 08:48:26 EST Subject: [Baren 16981] Re: Fun... Dear Mobile 101--Gilda, Do not give up on Barenforum.org. It is the best group. I have never been arrested or reprimanded for risktaking in art and continue with persistance in doing the woodblock thing to the best of my ability. This is great fun while Im hoping to improve through frequency, stuborness , and learning. Carol Lyons Irvington, NY ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 10:06:03 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16982] Re: Baren Digest V18 #1721 I'll be happy to 'scan' #11 for the group! Let me know the size you want the images to be and I'll take care of the rest. I have been getting the BEST results with my 4megapixel Olympus digital camera -- much better than with my over-sized A4 UMAX scanner (2100XL) and many, many times faster. I use a vacuum frame to hold the prints flat and dead square and centered in front of the camera, so results are really very good. Vacuum frame, and camera are all mounted on a rolling table -- very neat. Just completed the contraption. Let me know if you'd like me to take care of this. It's about an hour's work for me. Mike At 10:01 PM 2/15/2002 +0900, you wrote: >A request for assistance from Exchange #11 participants: we haven't yet >got these prints up on the [Baren] website, as nobody has yet stepped >forward to offer to scan them. It's quite a difficult job, as those >prints don't fit on the plate of a normal scanner, so one has to head >down to Kinko's or someplace to do it .. But if anybody out there has >the time, etc. to do this, the rest of us would certainly appreciate >it. If you need more details on what format/dpi/etc. we need, please >write to me ... Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon@mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 09:54:52 -0800 Subject: [Baren 16983] message from Charles Morgan: New Person Hello everyone. I guess I will stop lurking and let you know I am here. I am NOT a professional artist ... spent most of my life doing things I am good at in order to make a living, but now I want to try things I am not so good at ... like art and music. I REALLY love traditional Japanese wood block prints. I am signed up to take Graham's boot camp this summer and am really looking forward to it. In the meantime, I have begun some carving and printing. I have been using MDF -- medium density fiberboard -- as it is called in the building trade. It is readily available, pretty cheap, and dimensionally completely stable. Basically it is wood fiber in some sort of binder, sort of like particle board only much smoother. It is very hard, but carves easily with no grain. I have not done any large print runs, so I am unsure how it would stand up to prolonged water exposure. But it seems fine with a half dozen or so prints using water based block printing inks; and it cleans up readily under running water and a tooth brush. Has anyone else used this stuff? I thought about sealing it after carving but before printing with thinned varathane or similar stuff. Would this cause any problems? Anyway, I hope to participate in future exchanges ... right now my head is buzzing with images (mostly those of others) I want to carve and print. It is always stimulating to read the forum ... keep it up!!! Cheers ...... Charles ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 11:55:53 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16984] Re: New site for New Year Horse exchange list 02/15/2002 11:55:57 AM Sorry for the multiple posts today.... Here is a new site that has the signup list for the horse exchange, I have updated it with all who sent me private emails. If I missed someone, please let me know.... http://www.skokienet.org/bandits/jcrstuff/horsesite.html thanks...Julio ------------------------------ From: b.patera@att.net Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 19:38:13 +0000 Subject: [Baren 16985] Re: message from Charles Morgan: New Person Hi Charles!Do you have a web site? Would enjoy seeing your prints. And, where do you get medium density fiberboard. Being an "oily" person it sounds like something I whould like to try. Regards, Barbara Patera ------------------------------ From: Vishnovus@aol.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 15:01:40 EST Subject: [Baren 16986] wood question Im going to toss this question out.....I was planning on going the lino route for the next exchange, but after drooling over all the wonderful images of past exchanges, Im thinking about using wood. This is my first exchange...am I being foolhardy? Any advice on what type of wood to use? Thanks, Ld Lawrence ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 15:36:23 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16987] Re: New site for New Year Horse exchange list 02/15/2002 03:36:26 PM oops.....please disregard email re new signup site for horse exchange, the stable has been closed since late December....clumsy fingers! But stay tuned, the carousel ride is about to begin.... Julio ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 14:02:02 -0800 Subject: [Baren 16988] Whelan presses I'm looking into a large Whelan Press. These presses have a stationary press bed and seem like a good buy for a small studio. If anyone has experience with this specific type and brand, any comments would be greatly appreciated, online/offline, take your pick. TIA, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 14:15:23 -0800 Subject: [Baren 16989] Re: message from Charles Morgan: New Person Barbara P., MDF is a product that most lumber yards carry. I use it in the half inch thickness. Neat stuff, and it's fairly cheap for a 4by8' sheet. Best of luck, Philip Hammond, OR USA ------------------------------ From: Arafat Alnaim Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 14:37:04 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 16990] Sukrid Thareenak Dear Baren Members, Does any one of you know any information about a Woodblock artist by the name of "Sukrid Thareenak". Thank you Arafat Al_Naim ------------------------------ From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:51:47 EST Subject: [Baren 16991] More Sales Congrats. So far these sales: Maria Arango (2) John Center Mary Kuster James Mundie Julio Rodriguez Jan Telfer Cyndy Wilson It was a good day. How did I get anyone to come into the Gallery? It was "beckoning" them through the glass door. One woman asked "How do you know I want to come in here?" I said, "For the last 4 days everyone I invited in thanked me" That softened her and in she came. All viewers are moved by the exhibit and the whole idea. You printers who are organizing an exhibit will know that you are doing something very worthy! Tomorrow is the Reception and should bring in a bigger crowd (without the beckoning) . Gayle Wohlken's print image was in the newspaper , large and prominent. Daughter comes in from San Francisco on the Red Eye tomorrow A. M. We havent seen her since Thanksgiving. It will be an exciting day all around. Carol ------------------------------ From: Shireen Holman Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:51:52 -0500 Subject: [Baren 16992] Re: Whelan presses Maria, I recently bought the Whelan Press. It fits well in my studio because of the stationary bed, and the bed is large enough to do fairly large prints. So far I've been doing monotypes, and it's great. When I first got it, I tried it out on a woodcut because I wanted to be sure to be able to use it for that, since most of the time that's what I'll be using it for. It works well there also, but requires some revising in the way I've been printing. I'll need to use much larger 'furniture'. Anyway, so far I like it a lot. Shireen At 02:02 PM 2/15/02 -0800, you wrote: >I'm looking into a large Whelan Press. These presses have a stationary press >bed and seem like a good buy for a small studio. If anyone has experience >with this specific type and brand, any comments would be greatly >appreciated, online/offline, take your pick. >TIA, >Maria ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 13:57:57 -0800 Subject: [Baren 16993] RE: wood question Hi Ld, To start I would recommend something easy like birch plywood, which cuts easy but gives you the feel of wood. Also, you can pick up some at any home-repair-maintenance-lumber store such as Home Depot or Lowes. Pick up the best stuff you can find and avoid knots and splits. Some folk recommend sealing the wood but I have found this step unnecessary for oil based ink printing. I do bathe generously with linseed oil prior to cutting (let dry), which has a similar effect plus makes the wood easier to cut. If you are feeling braver than that, pick up some soft maple plank. With sharp knives it will cut just as easily as birch with the huge advantage that there is no splintering or sealing required. More here on how to prepare your wood and other humorous stuff: http://www.1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/wood/wood.html Good luck and happy cutting, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp > [mailto:owner-baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp]On Behalf Of Vishnovus@aol.com > Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 12:02 PM > To: baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp > Subject: [Baren 16986] wood question > > > Im going to toss this question out.....I was planning on going > the lino route > for the next exchange, but after drooling over all the wonderful > images of > past exchanges, Im thinking about using wood. This is my first > exchange...am > I being foolhardy? > Any advice on what type of wood to use? > Thanks, > Ld Lawrence > ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 08:40:27 +0900 Subject: [Baren 16994] Re: Exchange #11 image scanning Before I went to bed last night, I posted to [Baren] about not having any scanned images of Exchanage #11 for the website. I received a quick email right away from Dan Dew offering to do it (thanks Dan), and then rolled off to bed. This morning, I come down to do the 'breakfast and email' thing and find a link to a couple of .zip files in my Inbox. Dan has been beaten to the punch by Mike Lyon in Kansas City, who did them all while I was snoring away ... (_and_ cropped them all to perfect size, to boot!) I'm ashamed to have to say to Mike that it's going to be a couple of days before I can get the pages made and uploaded! Anyway, the reason I write now, is that I think a whole lot of you should be a whole lot interested in just how Mike got the job done so quickly and efficiently. He has given me permission to quote here from the explanatory note he sent me. Check this out! > It took about 30 minutes to photograph the 41 prints, and another > minutes to crop, re-size, color-correct and zip.=A0 That's by far the > most efficient digitizing I've ever done!=A0 I owe it all to my handy > dandy new construction, the vacuum photo jig!=A0 The photo jig was built > from a $25 (used) hospital bed, the ball-head from a used $45 mono-pod > (like a tripod only with one leg), the vacuum frame and pump were > salvaged for free from an old photo-litho camera which had been > discarded and some plywood, paint, hardware and electrical wiring and > switch (about $10). I've been planning this for a month, and built it > yesterday and today. > This method is much less harmful to the prints than scanning because > there's no xenon tube (or whatever) drenching the prints with UV and > other light spectrae. I love it! With the pump off, I open the vacuum > table so its surface is horizontal. Then I position the print (easy to > get this just right because the vacuum frame has markings to help > center stuff), flip the vacuum switch 'on', raise the vacuum table to > its vertical position -- the camera is already locked in place just > right distance from the photo frame on a piece of aluminum extrusion > designed and given to me by my friend, Mike Schuler, so that when > zoomed in fully, the camera sees the whole plate and the center of the >lens is exactly perpendicular to the center of the vacuum frame. >Voila! > Perfect pix every time without having to rotate them to make them > square. Too cool! You can view some photos of the jig itself here: > http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Baren12/lst Dave ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:50:23 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16995] Re: More Sales, horsies 02/15/2002 05:50:27 PM Congratulations Carol, wonderful news....I am glad people are liking our work. It is such a worthy cause. Keep rounding them up into the exhibit....good luck with the opening!!! Keep us posted. Speaking of round ups....the annual roundup at the OK corral is about ready to begin...our stable hands are dying to put on a show...so head on over to the link below to see a bit of horsemania........make sure to bing your riding gear and spurs... http://www.skokienet.org/bandits/jcrstuff/horses/ These are the ones received so far. If I misspelled your name or something....let me know... Jan, your pic will go up tonight as soon as I manage to stop playing with it...great idea.... an interactive horse...love it! thanks.....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Iliinois) ------------------------------ From: slinders@attbi.com Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 18:03:03 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16996] Re: Exchange #11 image scanning Mike will need to cover his invention with a sheet between uses, and add an IV bag and toe tags! Pretty inventive guy!-and the images are great! Sharen > Check this out! > > http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Baren12/lst > > Dave ------------------------------ From: "Rebecca Reynolds" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 18:46:11 -0600 Subject: [Baren 16997] An introduction Hello. I'm Becca and I'm a relatively new printmaking/painting student that just fell head over heels in love with wood cuts.If you're interested, some of my work can be found at http://inabutterfly.net/unfinished/portfolio.html . mostly pastel work. I look foward to future messages and eagerly await participating in future print exchanges. Becca ------------------------------ From: Dan Dew Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 19:59:25 -0500 Subject: [Baren 16998] Re: An introduction [:)] Becca, your work is amazing. Being an old pastel artist myself, I feel free to say that your work is very mesmerizing. **************************** Daniel L. Dew ddew0001@tampabay.rr.com ddew@tampabay.rr.com http://www.dandew.com **************************** > From: "Rebecca Reynolds" > > Hello. I'm Becca and I'm a relatively new printmaking/painting student that > just fell head over heels in love with wood cuts.If you're interested, some > of my work can be found at http://inabutterfly.net/unfinished/portfolio.html > . mostly pastel work. > I look foward to future messages and eagerly await participating in future > print exchanges. > > > Becca ------------------------------ From: Graham Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:17:02 -0800 Subject: [Baren 16999] wood question I believe a little more clarification is need. Birch is not easy to cut when compared to Cherry or Basswood. These are the tradition wood that have less problems of splintering, than birch, as Maria points out. Cutting across grain result in somewhat a furry edge. An now that winter is almost over we don't need furry....(< Fir, Pine and Cedar are sticky. That is to say as you cut across the grain they drag or seem sticky preventing the knife from cutting smoothly. Pine and cedar results in furry edges when cutting cross grain. If you use waterbase do not use linseed oil. If you do use linseed oil make sure that it is boiled linseed oil.... it will dry, but takes considerable time, where as plain linseed stays tacky ...and we sure don't want to be tacky.... (<: and never dries ... will almost never. I have experienced a time frame of 6 months and it is still soft. Maple is a hard wood although some may be marginally softer than Cherry, but I doubt it. We have a maple here on the coast that is called soft maple but it is relative the the northern or eastern maple that is very hard. Certainly, basswood and-"good quality"- Shina plywood is by far the best to use and there is no contest with birch plywood as Shina is considerably softer and cuts equally in both directions. These allow you to get very fine detail with and across the grain. Another point is the grain in these woods will not influence the direction of your Hanga-to or chisels during carving. Shina is manufactured in 3ft x 6ft sizes but can be purchase in small sizes Basswood is available in widths up to 16" through a specialty wood supplier. We have one a couple of miles from my house. Charles the name is Westwind Lumber in Sydney. For Shina the best quality I have found, and attested by some participant who have attended Boot Camp, is available through Noboru Sawai in Vancouver. His e-mail address .... woodyprint@aicompro.com I will have some of this at BootCamp. There is one very important factor when dealing with standard plywoods and or MDF. The glue (or what ever they call it) that is used to hold the plies and the composition board together is murder on your tools. It will dull them very quickly, so I stay away from that stuff like the plague. By the way Shina plywood uses a bonding material that does not dull blades, well at least not as much as the commercial construction plywoods. The Shina stuff I get is made especially for the Hanga sport. For us guys into Hanga, a 50/50 mix of Varnish and Solvent does nicely to seal the wood. The reason for this is that the varnish offers a slight hardening of the wood surface giving the fine lines a little bit more strength. Before varnishing you sand the surface, a palm sander is a worthy purchase. starting with 80 grit for really marked wood surface, or a 120 with a nicely planed surface, up to 600 grit as the final touch. You do not need to go beyond this grit as the wood we use only fill with wood fibers and does virtually nothing for the surface. When applying the varnish use 600 grit and buff vigorously a few moments after applying. Kinda like a french polish. Having said all of that ... hell, use anything and experiment with everything because it is the end results that matters. CREATE - CUT - PRINT >Hi Ld, > >To start I would recommend something easy like birch plywood, which cuts >easy but gives you the feel of wood. Also, you can pick up some at any >home-repair-maintenance-lumber store such as Home Depot or Lowes. Pick up >the best stuff you can find and avoid knots and splits. >Some folk recommend sealing the wood but I have found this step unnecessary >for oil based ink printing. I do bathe generously with linseed oil prior to >cutting (let dry), which has a similar effect plus makes the wood easier to >cut. >With sharp knives it will cut just as easily as birch with the huge advantage >that there is no splintering or sealing required. > >Good luck and happy cutting, >Maria > >< > > Im going to toss this question out.....I was planning on going > > the lino route >> for the next exchange, but after drooling over all the wonderful >> images of >> past exchanges, Im thinking about using wood. This is my first >> exchange...am >> I being foolhardy? >> Any advice on what type of wood to use? >> Thanks, >> Ld Lawrence >> ------------------------------ From: "Lee and Barbara Mason" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:14:41 -0800 Subject: [Baren 17000] photos Mike, this is sure neat. http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Baren12/lst I think you should market this!!!! With directions, of course. Barbara ------------------------------ From: "Lee and Barbara Mason" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:16:48 -0800 Subject: [Baren 17001] horses Julio, As usual you are great to put these horses up for us. http://www.skokienet.org/bandits/jcrstuff/horses/ What a lot of talent we have collectively and what a lot of fun we have. I still think this is the best group on the internet! Best to all, Barbara ------------------------------ From: Graham Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:24:59 -0800 Subject: [Baren 17002] Re: wood question Hi Ld, You will see my post re woods and preparation. I neglected to put my site in the post. Here it is... enjoy Regards Graham/Sidney BC An Island in the Pacific Home of the Boot Camp http://woodblock.info >Im going to toss this question out.....I was planning on going the lino route >for the next exchange, but after drooling over all the wonderful images of >past exchanges, Im thinking about using wood. This is my first exchange...am >I being foolhardy? >Any advice on what type of wood to use? >Thanks, >Ld Lawrence ------------------------------ From: Graham Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:33:33 -0800 Subject: [Baren 17003] Re: horses Something is not working there.... http://www.skokienet.org/bandits/jcrstuff/horses/ Jan Telfer's image is broken. I got a sample of her piece and it is wonderful. I am sure the picture will not do it justice. I hope to post an animated gif that will show it to be a carousel that is best defined as a sculpture print. Graham ------------------------------ From: "Lee and Barbara Mason" Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:28:37 -0800 Subject: [Baren 17004] Re: An introduction [:)] Welcome to the Baren, Becca. This is a great group! Barbara - ----- > Hello. I'm Becca and I'm a relatively new printmaking/painting student that > just fell head over heels in love with wood cuts.If you're interested, some > of my work can be found at http://inabutterfly.net/unfinished/portfolio.html > . mostly pastel work. > I look foward to future messages and eagerly await participating in future > print exchanges. > - ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII@aol.com Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 23:28:45 EST Subject: [Baren 16978] Re: commenting on prints >and no mold worries, and no >sweat rolling down my nose to drip onto the prints ... All in all, >winter is best for this job! Really? I always thought the humidity of summer would keep the paper from drying out too quickly! Though of course mould takes only a few days to ruin a batch of printing! April www.aprilvollmer.com ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V18 #1722 *****************************