Baren Digest Friday, 17 May 2002 Volume 19 : Number 1832 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GraphChem@aol.com Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 09:57:18 EDT Subject: [Baren 18072] Re: etching presses In a message dated 5/14/2002 3:52:59 PM Central Daylight Time, slinders@attbi.com writes: > excellent brand of presses at a firm called Printmakers Machine > company in Chicago... " > > They are connected to (and part of?) Graphic Ink and Chemical. > > Sharen No.....and yes. We are not part of Graphic Chemical & Ink, but we rent space from them. The only other similarity is that I am involved with both companies as is Susan. They are separate corporations - different ownership, etc. Printmakers purchased the Sturges and Graphic press lines from GCI in 1976, and have added the Conrad and Polymetaal presses since then. We also used to carry Bunch presses until they stopped making them. Check out our web site at www.printmakersmachine.com. Our philosophy is very simple, we will only sell quality presses at cost or close to cost to insure that printmakers have good equipment to use - so that they'll be willing and able to purchase materials from Graphic. We are very open about analyzing your press needs and recommending a good press - whether or not it comes from us. We've recently recommended that printmakers look at presses from two different manufacturers that we don't handle because of their specific needs. We'll lose the press sales, but hopefully they'll remember and purchase their inks, papers, plates etc from Graphic. Dean Clark ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 09:23:07 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18073] Re: ding Wasn't me, Maria, but take a look at work by Haku Maki (western version) or Maki Haku (japanese version) -- he applied quick-crete, plaster, concrete, etc. to his blocks, then 'printed' several layers of paper and glue onto them to make DEEPly embossed/debossed low-relief paper prints/sculpture... biography: http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/~fiorillo/3maki.html and for a few examples, try: http://www.floatingworld.com/thumbs.cfm?qsRan=4422205136 Check the library, too, as I recall reading a quite lengthy description of his technique in a survey of several contemporary artisits... can't recall the title, though -- sorry. Mike At 07:51 PM 5/15/2002 -0700, Maria wrote: >Shake shake... >NO problema here, really. >A while back someone in the forum talked about paper casts from woodblocks >and mentioned their website as a source? Are you there? Helooooooooo, alo >alo alo... >I'm playing these days, so I thought I'd try something fun and >refreshing--there IS a lot of water involved. >K-bye-now Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon@mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: GraphChem@aol.com Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 10:29:08 EDT Subject: [Baren 18074] Re: Dan Patrick Press The primary reason that you'd lose some of the working surface of the bedplate is that the way printmakers work means that they cannot access the whole length of the bedplate. We tell customers that at the very maximum, they can use the length of the bedplate minus any lost space for safety stops minus the diameter of the roller. You have to be able to keep the blankets trapped under the roller, and to remove the paper after printing. It is entirely likely that a 36" long bedplate with a six inch roller wouldn't take a full sheet of paper. Dean Clark Printmakers Machine Company ------------------------------ From: Charles Morgan Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 08:37:47 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18075] shake, embossing Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I do not mind blunt, and my feelings are almost impossible to hurt. I am very direct myself, and find that sometimes I inadvertently give offense. Nuff said about all that. Take this as a big, warm handshake. As for deep embossing, you might check for a book entitled "Evolving Techniques in Japanese Woodblock Prints" by Gaston Petit and Amadio Arboleda. You will particularly be interested in the discussion on pages 103-107 of the tampon printing of Sasajima Kihei. Basically, he carves REALLY deeply. Then he embosses damp paper using an etching press and some hand techniques. Finally, he uses a tampon to ink the raised portions of the paper. I found other techniques discussed to be interesting and inspiring as well. ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 09:19:09 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18076] Re: Powered Pigments I guess that is "powdered pigments" - but I really like the idea of power pigments! [:-)] For any of you that don't know this - Barenforum has it's own little mall & there are rainbows of powdered pigments in any color anyone would ever want to use. These are the traditional pigments used by the traditional printers in Japan. The address is: http://www.barenforum.org/mall/index.html Mike, Are you using the Yamaguchi families' paper on your reduction print? Can't wait to see it! I hope you took some photos of each stage. I haven't been brave enough to do a Japanese block print by the reduction method, but have done many in the oily discipline. I love the process of it. Wanda ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 13:36:13 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18077] Re:"Evolving Techniques in Japanese Woodblock Prints" 05/16/2002 01:37:07 PM I too have seen this book and is like Charles mentioned a wealth of resources. Just like all the other 1960's printmaking books coming from Japan during that period promoting the sosaku-Hanga movement....it is very detailed in technique and describing each artists methods & tricks...... something us here in the west are somewhat more cautious about! I actually did a small book review on it for the baren library back in 1997 which you can read at: http://www.barenforum.org/encyclopedia/entries/003_01/003_01_frame.html thanks....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 14:42:15 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18078] Re: Powered Pigments Only took a couple of photos of the earliest stages. Just now completed them -- they're stacked and drying as I type. 15 'blocks'! Turned out pretty nice -- it's a TON easier than multi-block method because the carving between printings is only to remove those parts of the wood which are 'done'... Of course, it takes a bit of extrra planning in order to maintain some non-printing islands so the baren is easier to handle at the end when most of the block is non-printing. But there is a certain amount of 'confidence' (maybe bordering on arrogance or foolhardiness) because there is no 'going back' to re-print an intermediate stage... But... In case of emergency, one can always carve another block (of course) to correct whatever problems exist... Unless one is a bit too lazy and in a hurry, of course, then you you have to be satisfied with prints like mine... Mike At 09:19 AM 5/16/2002 -0700, you wrote: >Mike, Are you using the Yamaguchi families' paper on your reduction print? >Can't >wait to see it! I hope you took some photos of each stage. I haven't been >brave >enough to do a Japanese block print by the reduction method, but have done >many >in the oily discipline. I love the process of it. > >Wanda Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon@mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 14:49:11 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18079] Yamaguchi paper Sorry, Wanda and Julio, meant to say that 'yes', my Music Exchange print IS on the Yamaguchi paper (which I bought at http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/hosho.html ) -- and I don't actually 'know' for sure whether is has been sized on one or both sides, but I printed on the 'smooth' side, which was also the sticky side in the 'lick the fingers and squeeze' test. - --Mike Julio wrote: >Mike, congrats on your 15 states print, can't wait to >see it....you mentioned that the Yamaguchi paper was sized on one side. I >had always thought it was done equally on both sides. Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon@mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Hudson Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 16:57:44 -0400 Subject: [Baren 18080] Evolving Techniques Just another cheer for Petit and Arboleda's Evolving Techniques in Japanese Woodblock Prints. It's a book I'm always returning to and finding amazing bits of information/inspiration. Ray Hudson ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 19:42:45 -0400 Subject: [Baren 18081] pigments Charles, be careful if you are using powdered pigments, it's hazardous to be breathing that stuff, no joking! To be honest, I don't see any reason to use powdered pigments when pigments dispersed in water are readily available (at least for me here in NYC!). I don't know where you purchase pigment dispersions up in your neck of the woods (perhaps Graham knows), but Guerra in New York City (510 E 13th St,New York,NY 10009, Phone: (212) 529-0628) sells the pigments dispersed in water and they will ship them to you if you're not in NYC. Sarah ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:58:58 +0900 Subject: [Baren 18082] Re: pigments Sarah wrote: > To be honest, I don't see any reason to use powdered pigments when > pigments dispersed in water are readily available I can think of three reasons ... saturation, saturation, and saturation! Every type of dispersed pigment that I have ever seen is simply too 'thin' to allow beautifully saturated colour to be printed. I guess you could perhaps leave them open in the sunshine until they had thickened up a bit, but I would rather mix them myself to the proper thickness. As for the 'danger' of powder in the air, that can be completely eliminated by storing the pigment in paste form. There is a page on how to do this in the Encyclopedia at: http://woodblock.com Scroll down to the bottom of the page... Tools and Materials/Pigments/Preparing Powder Pigments ... Dave ------------------------------ From: Charles Morgan Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 19:15:13 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18083] Re: pigments Thanks, Sarah. Yes, I know there are hazards with using powdered pigments ... use mask, good ventilation, and so on. I just want to try some of the traditional natural earth pigments in various media, and have control over concentrations. The further removed from the pigments you get, the less control of the process you have. It is sort of like buying or growing fresh spices and using them to cook with, as opposed to buying prepared spices. I take Dave's comments about saturation to heart here ... he has much more experience than do I. Cheers ...... Charles At 07:42 PM 5/16/02 -0400, you wrote: >Charles, be careful if you are using powdered pigments, it's hazardous to >be breathing that stuff, no joking! To be honest, I don't see any reason >to use powdered pigments when pigments dispersed in water are readily >available (at least for me here in NYC!). I don't know where you purchase >pigment dispersions up in your neck of the woods (perhaps Graham knows), >but Guerra in New York City (510 E 13th St,New York,NY 10009, Phone: (212) >529-0628) sells the pigments dispersed in water and they will ship them to >you if you're not in NYC. >Sarah ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V19 #1832 *****************************