Baren Digest Wednesday, 1 October 2003 Volume 25 : Number 2392 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Lyon Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 09:00:19 -0500 Subject: [Baren 22952] Re: hanga questions >Mike >I'm using reves BFK paper and transparent watercolors with rice paste. How >thick should the pigment/paste be? should i be using the paste with the >watercolors? > >Charles McNeely Hi, Charles... These are just my own opinions, of course, and with luck you'll receive additional suggestions from other moku-hanga printers here as well. The so-called mistakes and accidents provide some of our most interesting 'techniques' and new direction, I think. Rives BFK really isn't the 'right' paper for moku-hanga even though good results can be obtained... Rives ought to be soaked (I submerge it in water) for at least 30 minutes up to about 2 hours, then blotted to remove all surface moisture prior to printing. Then the pigments will go well into the paper. Baren Mall carries a nice paper (#23) called "New Hosho" http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/paper.php which is about 26" x 38" and relatively inexpensive at $7.55 per sheet. I've had very good printing results on this paper, but it requires a backing sheet for multiple over-printings as it isn't over-strong and tends to pill up under the baren. Baren Mall also carries a very fine paper, "Yamaguchi" hosho http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/hosho.html about 16" x 22" for $8.75 per sheet (more than twice as expensive) but VERY strong and you'll not need any backing sheet so long as you don't allow the paper to become too soft (wet). McClain's also carries some good printing papers at http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/paper.html#groupa -- Their Nishinouchi is a good paper, but I think it's a bit too light (thin) for most printing, especially when you are just beginning. Their Gampi is wonderful, but is a bit soft, so you'll likely need a backing sheet during printing in order to avoid pilling. I haven't tried their other two group A papers, but the Kizuki Hanga sounds pretty seductive to me (and pricey at $30+ per sheet). Of McClain's group B papers I've printed on the ISE and the TORINOKO and do not recommend them as I feel they are just not strong enough (not that you can't get good prints on those papers) but I'd stick to their group A papers. You don't submerge these Japanese papers, just dampen every other sheet with a mizu-bake (or a spray mister) as you stack them up in just-damp newsprint and let sit (in plastic so water won't evaporate) overnight prior to printing. I mix rice paste with water to the consistency of heavy cream or a bit thicker -- I feel it's right when I stick something like the eraser end of a pencil into the paste and about 1/16" layer of paste surrounds the pencil with a heavy drip clinging... While printing light colors, I drizzle barely enough water onto the block to allow me to spread the paste/color, then I put a dab of paste onto a wet spot and a dab of pigment (watercolor) into the paste (if you put the color directly onto the wood, especially a drier spot, a dark blotch will persist for several prints) and then brush out vigourously. The paste/pigment/water should form just the thinnest of films on the block, whose surface should appear damp-matte (not wet or glossy or dry, but just matte) no matter how you hold it up to the light. Then drop the paper, press with baren, and pull the print... If the depth of color isn't great enough, or the color isn't consistent, brush up the block a 2nd (or 3rd) time and print the same sheet again. When you pull the print from the block there should NEVER be any wet/glossy areas anywhere -- if there are, that usually indicates that there was too much 'stuff' on the block or that you didn't brush it out evenly or that you allowed 'stuff' to be squeezed from the brush onto the edges or into the hollows or something like that... That tendency for the edges to collect extra water/paste/pigment ('stuff') can be reduced by carving so that there aren't any hollows or valleys or stream-beds adjacent to the printing areas (or elsewhere), and by greater care during brushing, and by better quality brushes. The BEST brushes I've used are the 'professional grade' maru bake from Baren Mall http://www.barenforum.org/mall/products/maru_bake.php -- they are well worth the price and work WAY better than sosaku bake and way, WAY betterh than shoe brushes -- they hold a LOT of 'stuff' (which is important as the brush acts as a sort of buffer to greatly reduce variations in water/paste/pigment application from print to print) and always seem to brush out the color very quickly and very smoothly and evenly. Hope this helps... - -- Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: ArtfulCarol#aol.com Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 13:13:38 EDT Subject: [Baren 22953] Re: hanga questions About the dampness question-- When you've been around a l o n g time you hear things: How can you test the paper for dampness? Use the knuckle of your index finger. If it feels cool the paper is the correct dampness. Honest!!! Has anyone ever heard that one? Carol L. Irvington, NY ------------------------------ From: Barbara Mason Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 11:03:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Baren 22954] Re: hanga questions I always heard you put it against your cheek and it should feel cool..... Barbara ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 18:01:46 -0500 Subject: [Baren 22955] #19 -- SHUNGA EXCHANGE SIGN-UP HEAR YE, HEAR YE!! A lot of people have been very impatient for this one... Bugles blare, canons roar, the band strikes up a rhythmic Gypsy Rose Lee percussion melody: BOOM! Ba-ba BOOM! Ba-ba BOOM! Ba-ba BOOM! Someone shouts, "Take it off! (Take it ALL off and then some)!" You must be 18 or older in order to participate in... Exchange #19 (Shunga / Erotic) opens for sign-up tomorrow, Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at 3 PM Greenwich Mean Time (which is 10 AM here in Kansas City, Missouri)... SIGN UP HERE: http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_sign-up.html MEDIUM: woodblock print (hand rubbed or pulled on a press, B&W or colour, any pigments, any paper) THEME: Shunga. The original "pillow book" theme for this exchange was proposed by John Center during the Baren Summit in Kansas City. It seemed to generate a lot of enthusiasm at the Summit and later interest and support on the forum. 'Shunga' is a Japanese word meaning 'spring picture' (erotic art). Among the earliest types of Japanese woodblock prints, shunga were first common in the 17th century and remained popular right up through the present day. Frequently described as 'sex manuals' or 'courtesan critiques', shunga were typically bound into books (accompanied by very colorful, and I don't mean 'hue', text) and depicted highly explicit scenes of physical love. The participants were only rarely pictured completely naked. Although male/female couples were the usual fare, women with women, men with men, men with boys, and large groups were not uncommon. PAPER SIZE: chu-ban about 10 x 7 1/2 inches (25.4 x 19 cm). Note: in previous exchanges the coordinators have had many problems with prints that don't fit the cases, so this time we must emphasize - prints that do not meet the published specification will be rejected from the exchange and returned to the maker. No exceptions. PAPER TYPE: no restriction REGISTRATION PERIOD: One month starting October 1, 2003 (or until 30 participants are enrolled) WORK PERIOD: Three months starting November 1 DEADLINE FOR FINISHED PRINTS: February 1st, 2004 Sign-up begins at 3:00 p.m. of October 1st (GMT). All members may sign up at that time, however those members who participated in the previous exchange (#18 & #18(a)) will appear in the "Holding Pen" list for the first week of sign-up (through 2:59:59 p.m. of October 8th (GMT) in order to encourage broadest participation. Note: the actual moment of startup has been selected in order that the largest possible number of [Baren] members will be awake. Given the global range of our group this is difficult, but the huge width of the Pacific Ocean gives us a 'window' of opportunity; while the Pacific sleeps, the rest of the world is awake. So here is a rough guide to the time -- 3:00 pm GMT is about: * 5 am in Honolulu, * 8 am in Los Angeles, * 10 am in Chicago and Mexico, * 11 am in New York, * 12 noon for Brazilians, * 4 pm in London, * 6 pm in Israel and Athens, * 11 pm in Hong Kong and Perth, Australia, * 12 midnight in Japan, * 1 am October 2nd in Sydney, Australia... When calculating the exact moment of sign-up for your particular time zone, please remember that GMT does not change during the summer; it is a year-round stable base of reference. If your local zone does use summer time, you will have to make the necessary adjustment ... If you are confused about how to find the correct time, please visit the Time Zone Converter page at http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc/ for assistance. After the first week, those who were placed on the Waiting List because they participated in the previous exchange will be moved to the end of the list. Subsequent sign-ups will be appended to the list in the order they were time-stamped by our server. The first thirty who signed up will appear in the "Subscription list" and the rest will appear in the "Waiting List". (Anyone who will be 'on holiday' or away from their computer during their particular sign-up period should make arrangements with a friend to make the sign-up for them.) Thank you for your attention. You may now return to your normal activity. :-) - -- Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V25 #2392 *****************************