Baren Digest             Wednesday, 4 December 2002     Volume 21 : Number 2049


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From: "Cathryn BACKER" <cbacker#bigpond.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 23:16:40 +0800
Subject: [Baren 20035] Re: Baren Digest V21 #2047  


> > Has anyone used a "book press" or antique screw press for printing their
> > blocks?
> > what was your experience?
> > Happy Holidays,
> > Thea

>

Hi Thea,
Yes, I use a book press (screw type) Its only A4 size so it is a bit
limiting but it works very successfully.
I do use oil based inks for prints. I've tried water colours and water based
inks but that's not so successful. I find the book press really convenient
because it takes up so little room. If I want to do bigger prints I go to
the local College and use their etching press. I make a "sandwich" of the
woodblock on the bottom, then the paper then a thick sheet of cardboard (not
the corrugated sort!) then screw it down, wait 20 seconds then unscrew it.
Great excitement 'cause it worked! The 20 seconds  works for mine and the
type of paper I use (usually whatever I can lay my hands on but also bark
from trees, woven flat reeds, split woven bamboo etc.) I'm an opportunistic
creature. So if you do get a book press, try different times for different
materials and keep notes. This helps a lot.
Hope I've been some help
Cathryn

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From: Lynita Shimizu <Shimizu.nai#rcn.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 11:01:00 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20036] Website 

Hi,

A note to share the changed URL of my website:

http://wave.prohosting.com/~woodcuts/index.html

After a bit of bribery I was finally successful in persuading son #3 to 
add two galleries (Galleries 5 and 6) of recent work to the site. If 
you check it out, please be warned that the site is a project handed 
down from one son to another to another with very little input from 
their mother and even less communication among the three wise guys. 
Someday I'll learn the ropes but until then, what is there is evidence 
that beggars can't be choosy. : )

Best wishes,
Lynita


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From: "Maria Arango-Diener" <maria#mariarango.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 09:41:20 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20037] puzzle update 

Hello all!

I have received some concerned emails about the puzzle project; don't worry!
Be happy!
The puzzle project is alive and well, although temporarily on the "next to
the front" burner for just another week. Without compromising myself
terribly, I will mail the blocks out during the first two weeks of December.
Some of you will get them as a Christmas present, some of you may not get
them until early January.
Came up with new design after old design was already drawn, I HAD to redraw,
this new idea is awesome and perfectly fitting to the purpose of the
project. REsanded and REdrew, now in "gelling" stage while I do my last
festival of the season. The deadline will run until the end of August 2003,
that is still 8 months to design and carve a 5" x 6" block (approx size)
with the theme: "What is Baren?"  Also, there will be no "guiding lines"
since I redesigned the image. You will now get a very irregularly shaped
block with orientation (up) defined but blank otherwise. Anything goes!

Excuses? you say? You want excuses? Okay, as you wish, here they are in no
particular order of importance or otherwise (these are all true, albeit a
little scrambled):

- - Festivals have been very very good to me, I'm busier than I thought
matting and framing
- - New computer for my birthday, lots of attention dedicated to getting my
little home office back up and running
- - Two kittens found in engine compartment of (thank goodness) idle car in
front yard
- - Subsequent trapping/spaying/neutering/re-releasing of neighborhood cats
frenzy, still ongoing
- - Two kittens like to play with mommy a lot!
- - Not completely unrelated, entire studio rearranged to prevent kittens from
eating ink (and rollers, and paper, and woodblocks, and...)
- - Added an extra festival due to invitation by county arts org
- - Changed oil in all the cars (okay, I admit that didn't take very long)
- - Designed hanga Exchange 15 block in an uncontrollable fit of creativity
- - Birthday caused me to take a day off to ponder upon the intricate and
delicious nuances of my life and the world in general
- - Changed my signature file (see below)
- - Lost all my pencils to kitten related incidents
- - Found my pencils, 7 toy mice, 4 dust bunnies, 16 coins, microphone cable
for my new computer, 2 grapes-er, raisins by now and other assorted food
crumbs in kitten-unreachable corner of dining room under TV center

Well, I do think that's enough, although we had other exciting incidents
keeping me busy.
And with that, I'm off again!

Health to all,
Maria

<||><||><||><||><||><||>
     Maria Arango
  Las Vegas Nevada USA
  www.1000woodcuts.com
<||><||><||><||><||><||>



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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2002 11:45:48 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20038] Re: puzzle update 

At 09:41 AM 12/3/2002 -0800, Maria Arango wrote:

>- Designed hanga Exchange 15 block in an uncontrollable fit of creativity


"block" ??  Don't forget, Maria, exchange 15's to be MULTI-block, 
traditional polychrome moku-hanga !!  :-)
AND...
I can hardly WAIT to receive my oddly shaped but marked "this way UP" block 
for the holiday!!!  And tell me again, what's the rule?  I'm supposed to 
carve my relief "impression" answer to the question, "What is Baren?", 
right?  I'm completely stymied already!  I'm telling you, I have a mental 
BLOCK !!  But pretty soon I guess I'll have a cherry BLOCK !!
THANKS !!!!

- -- Mike


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  

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From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc#prodigy.net>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 14:17:15 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20039] Re: Website 

Lynita

Your sons did a great job on your web site.
 I know what you mean though, as my son does mine also and I usually cross
my fingers when he changes a few items, such as spelling, etc. But aren't we
lucky. Without my son I would not have a clue as to how to do a web site.
As usual, I like your work and my favorites are always the way you do your
birds. Your landscapes are very pleasant too.
Thanks for sharing.

Jeanne N.


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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2002 15:55:56 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20040] Baren Summit 

The "SUMMIT" -- our traditional Japanese wood block printmaking convention 
- -- is going to be pretty wonderful, I think.  It's June 14 through June 22, 
2003 in Kansas City...

Lots of familiar Baren voices already signed-up: John Amoss, Maria Arango, 
Carole Baker, David Bull, John Center, Jeanne Chase, Ray Hudson, Kent 
Kirkpatrick, Sharri Lapierre, Mike Lyon, Carol Lyons, Barbara Mason, Julio 
Rodriguez, Suzanne Salsbury, Gayle Wohlken...

Baren Summit information and sign-up at http://www.barenforum.org/summit -- 
hope you'll be there, too!

- -- Mike


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  

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From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 17:11:28 EST
Subject: [Baren 20041] Re: A Visit to Seseragi Studio 

as an oily person i have no problem with printing light colors over darker 
ones but how do you do it with japanese method?

john center

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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2002 16:55:51 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20042] Re: printing light over dark in hanga 

At 05:11 PM 12/3/2002 -0500, John Center wrote:

>as an oily person i have no problem with printing light colors over darker
>ones but how do you do it with japanese method?


Hi, John...  Usually in moku-hanga you plan to print less intense colors 
before more intense colors.  Most often the colors we use are transparent, 
but not always.  I have printed lighter gouache over dark with pleasing 
results, also transparent watercolor into which I've mixed (for example) 
Chinese White (very opaque) in order to produce a more opaque color and 
printed that light over dark.

Except that both traditions rely on relief carved blocks, traditional 
Japanese woodblock technique is VERY different from western oil based 
printing, and not only in application (the ink is brushed onto the block's 
surface and into the carved areas somewhat indiscriminately in hanga, and 
usually rolled only onto the surface in oil-based relief printing.  Hanga 
includes some techniques which are much more like painting than like 
western relief printing, and some techniques which have as much in common 
with intaglio as with relief.

The paper is also (usually) different (relatively long-fibered strongly 
grained washi vs. relative short-fibered grainless western rag papers) and 
the pigments in moku-hanga generally penetrate into the paper more like 
dye, maybe.  Oil based inks tend to sit more on the surface.

In Hanga, it is possible (even common) for the same area of the print to be 
heavily overprinted five, ten, twenty or more times without any change in 
the property of the paper and print (other than potentially very intense 
pigmentation with a subtle and complex and usually very pleasing 
patina).  But oil based inks tend to 'build' up one on top of the other -- 
drying time and film thickness can quickly become problematic.  I've made 
moku-hanga which I think are very beautiful with 25 over-printed 
impressions without any problem or any particular change in technique in 
later vs. earlier impressions.  I've made lithographs of only four 
over-printed colors which had to dry longer and longer and LONGER between 
colors, and I still had problems with ink travelling from the print to the 
plate and with unappealing buildup of ink on the paper...

Really, except for the very general similarity of "relief" printing color 
from block to paper, the methods aren't very comparable.

Mike


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  

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From: "Lee and Barbara Mason" <lbmason71#attbi.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 16:17:18 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20043] Re: A Visit to Seseragi Studio 

You have to add white guache to make the ink opaque and it does not work
very well....at least not for me! You have to think backwards and leave the
lights.
Barbara


> as an oily person i have no problem with printing light colors over darker
> ones but how do you do it with japanese method?
>
> john center




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From: "Cynthia S. Bendix" <contact-print#juno.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 17:32:54 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20044] Re: puzzle update 

Hi Maria and everyone,
I can so relate to the kitten incidents. After volunteering at a local
cat shelter (and sometimes a dog or turtle etc.) I started "fostering"
kittens that were too little to be in the shelter. "Foster kittens" are
supposed to go back to the shelter, thus the term "fostering". Many of
mine never made it back to the shelter and are now enjoying the "cat
toys" in my studio (pencils, erasers, paper etc. ) I have also learned
(or am still learning) to put away anything that they shouldn't eat, step
in and then eat, drop to the floor and watch break, tangle or walk across
many times.

When I'm at my desk, they feel that this is the best time to visit and
involve themselves in the art process. Thanks for sharing and rescuing
those kittens!
 
What is a puzzle print?

Thea aka cat person

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End of Baren Digest V21 #2049
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