Today's postings

  1. [Baren 29431] Re: Update and Questions (Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com)
  2. [Baren 29432] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005) (Wanda Robertson)
  3. [Baren 29433] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005) ("robert")
  4. [Baren 29434] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005) (Marissa)
  5. [Baren 29435] Re: Update and Questions (Mike Lyon)
  6. [Baren 29436] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005) ("Ellen Shipley")
  7. [Baren 29437] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo (Erin Timothy Needham)
  8. [Baren 29438] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo (Mike Lyon)
  9. [Baren 29439] Rice Flour/Starch ("Tom Kristensen")
  10. [Baren 29440] photocopier hanshita / kyogo (Barbara Mason)
  11. [Baren 29441] Re: ancient dogs (Ragtaghorde # cs.com)
  12. [Baren 29442] Re: ancient dogs ("robert")
  13. [Baren 29443] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo ("Ellen Shipley")
  14. [Baren 29444] Paint, Print, Sculpt, Print some more (ReadDevine # aol.com)
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Message 1
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 11:34:11 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29431] Re: Update and Questions
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Hi Lynn..... by all means use a marker on your kyogo...normally you go
through all of them and mark on each the color area you are going to
print....as far as the hanshita you remove some of the paper so that you
can see the lines better...if your paper is so thin that you can see them
clearly then it's ok...a few oil drops applied on the back and rubbed
with your fingers on the paper will also make the lines easy to see

Hi Roy....in no particular order....

Maria Arango is now in Phoenix....with a gallery representing her work in
Scottsdale. There may be other bareners nearby.

I would save the hosho paper for the actual print run and do the proofing
and color registration on a cheaper
paper.

I have used Speedball sparingly but agree with the others not the choice
brand. Dan Dew has used Speedball
quite a bit and likes the results but I am not sure if he is brushing or
rolling with a brayer .... you can see his
amazing prints on the Exchange pages.

At the KC Summit a grand time was had by all. The setting was informal,
some people brought their own
projects to work on and others just came to mingle and meet everyone.
People came and went as they
pleased and we had late afternoon presentations and trips to nearby
sites. Half camped out at Mike' studio and the
rest at nearby accomodations. Dave, Mike, April and others freely gave
their time demonstrating techniques and discussing printmaking. The next
summit is in the planning stages by Sharri LaPierre and her gang up in the
northwest....more details will probably be posted early next year as they
become available..... the link to see photos and read about what went on
in KC is here: http://barenforum.org/summit

thanks....Julio Rodriguez
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Message 2
From: Wanda Robertson
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:21:59 -0800
Subject: [Baren 29432] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005)
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Hi Lynn,

You have about 300 people out here holding your virtual hand right now!
It
sounds to me like you have done way more prep work than most of us have
for our first moku hanga print. And maybe more than some of have done
for
our 40th! :-) We wish you the very best for your first & remember to
have
fun with it! You will love it - I promise!

Wanda
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Message 3
From: "robert"
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 18:32:46 +0000
Subject: [Baren 29433] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005)
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Hello printmakers!
Peace and love all around.
I have been carving my exchange #27 blocks and I feel it is going well. HOWEVER. I tend to started carving more complex details than I originally planned as I work. I kind of use my drawing as a general guideline but make it more detailed and end up making more work for myself. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But does this happen to any of you folks? I start out with a square and I end up with a square in a square in a square in a square in a square etc.. Make sense?
Ok, I'm outta here.
Robert
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Message 4
From: Marissa
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 13:36:18 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29434] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005)
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I am the same way Robert, I tend to do very minimal sketching and planning.
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Message 5
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 12:49:47 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29435] Re: Update and Questions
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Julio wrote:
>Hi Lynn..... by all means use a marker on your kyogo...normally you
>go through all of them and mark on each the color area you are going
>to print....as far as the hanshita you remove some of the paper so
>that you can see the lines better...if your paper is so thin that
>you can see them clearly then it's ok...a few oil drops applied on
>the back and rubbed with your fingers on the paper will also make
>the lines easy to see...

Here's something I don't recall having discussed before on Baren --
maybe we have and I've forgotten already, but... The hanshita /
kyogo were traditionally pasted ink-side-down so that the printed
image appeared right-reading (I am 'overlooking' the parallax from
paper thickness in the following recommendation)... But many
commercial photo-copiers include a 'reverse' function and of course
that ability to 'flip' an image is built into ALL imaging software,
so... You can print your block plans on copy paper (including
kento), apply paste to each block as usual, then apply the paper
print-side-UP -- after an hour or so (when the paste and block are
dry) you can SO easily carve right through the paper using your image
as a guide -- papers do not wrinkle, and registration seems to be as
tight as usual...

Much easier and more direct than tissue applied to copier papers and
no rubbing / pilling / oiling to reveal the lines of the key
drawings... Works slick for all but the most demanding carvers of
tiny lines, I think! You can find an example or two here:
http://barenforum.org/blog/archives/2005/10/center_for_cont.html

-- Mike


Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com
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Message 6
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 11:54:36 -0800
Subject: [Baren 29436] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3284 (Dec 5, 2005)
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Hi Robert,

Well I tend to follow a general guide -- a simple sketch on the wood in
chalk -- and add details and they strike me. For me it's all process. I
love to let the wood and the subject dictate the finished product.

The only time I worked out every detail was when I did my reduction block
this fall (see pressing-issues blog below -- Letting Go), but even in that
case I left the texture and some details to the moment.

I like surprises.

Ellen
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/

http://thepickledpen.blogspot.com/

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/philippaschuyler/my_photos
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Message 7
From: Erin Timothy Needham
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 18:31:51 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29437] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo
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Mike said: "You can print your block plans on copy paper (including
kento), apply paste to each block as usual, then apply the paper
print-side-UP -- after an hour or so (when the paste and block are dry)
you can SO easily carve right through the paper using your image as a
guide -- papers do not wrinkle, and registration seems to be as tight
as usual..."

Thanks for the post!!! For those of us already incorporating this kind
of technology into our process this seems like a logical progression
and much simpler. Do you leave this layer of paper on the block during
printing or do you pick/soak/or something it off first?

Erin (having a duh-why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment)
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Message 8
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 17:36:31 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29438] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo
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Erin wrote:
>Do you leave this layer of paper on the block during printing or do
>you pick/soak/or something it off first?

Assuming you used rice paste (or other readily water re-soluble
paste) -- after carving, just dampen the block (and paper), wait a
minute, then peel off the paper (use a brush to sweep off any
remaining damp paper slivers) and your're ready to print!

-- Mike


Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com
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Message 9
From: "Tom Kristensen"
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 11:00:23 +1100
Subject: [Baren 29439] Rice Flour/Starch
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A permanent topic of discusion is the making of rice paste. Anyone new to the subject can Google the Baren Archives and come up with zillions of entries. When I started out I went out and bought a selection of boxes and packets of stuff that might be powdered starch. There was nothing available that was branded as Rice Starch. From Thailand there was Rice Flour that seems to me to be starch. It melts instantly on the tongue and has no grainy residue. It seems identical in texture to laundry starch, which is unfortunately slightly salty. I also tried tapioca starch which was amazingly glutinous but too stringy to be useful and potato starch which was not good at all. On reading the box some so-called corn starch is actually wheat flour. Real corn starch works well but tends to congeal. My verdict: Rice Flour from Thailand is probably starch. I now use 2/3 Thai Rice Flour (starch) 1/3 Corn Starch.

When printing I now keep two tubs of starch going. Fresh starch is the nicest to work with, but the older (1 day out of the fridge) slightly runny starch is also good for working with fine detail because it brushes out of grooves more readily.

Tom
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Message 10
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 16:48:05 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 29440] photocopier hanshita / kyogo
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Mike,
You are so darn tidy...I just put it under the faucet and away it goes into the sink....then I just dry the block with a towel.

I have never been able to make lots of original copies as I am always creating as I go with the carving, so I am forced to print it from the block and then carve through the paper backwards with the image underneath on the next block.....fortunately I am such a sloppy image maker that it never seems to matter too much if my carving is off a bit. One day I aspire to actually do a set of blocks like Dave does....if I live long enough.

I have three blocks so far for #27...and maybe one more to go if all works well with the printing.

I just spent all afternoon at the library looking at pictures of dogs. We are a pet free family due to allergies so have no ready dog to draw. I got side tracked into knitting (the books were misshelved) and then into primitive art. This sent me looking for ancient dogs...not that many out there. Several wolves, but few dogs. You would think man's best friend would be a little more present in ancient artwork, but no. I know they ate them, so maybe it is like the chicken. I swear there were more pictures of ancient birds...isn't this an odd thing? I origially was thinking dog+frisbee...but the photos of said dogs seem few and far between. So it will be a surprise which dog I eventually do...old or new! I know you are all just holding your breath! ha.
Best to all,
Barbara
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Message 11
From: Ragtaghorde # cs.com
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 20:05:53 EST
Subject: [Baren 29441] Re: ancient dogs
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Barbara wrote:

> I just spent all afternoon at the library looking at pictures of dogs. We
> are a pet free family due to allergies so have no ready dog to draw. I got
> side tracked into knitting (the books were misshelved) and then into primitive
> art. This sent me looking for ancient dogs...not that many out there. Several
> wolves, but few dogs. You would think man's best friend would be a little
> more present in ancient artwork, but no. I know they ate them, so maybe it is
> like the chicken. I swear there were more pictures of ancient birds...isn't
> this an odd thing? I origially was thinking dog+frisbee...but the photos of said
> dogs seem few and far between. So it will be a surprise which dog I
> eventually do...old or new! I know you are all just holding your breath! ha.
> Best to all,
> Barbara
>

How ancient are you looking? European cave paintings don't have dogs, but
there are tons of later depictions. The Egyptians are a good place to start.
And Medieval art is FULL of dogs. Check out Gaston Phoebus, especially!

Annie F.

Annie Fitt
& the Ragtag Horde ~ Whippets of Mass Destruction!
Wake, Virginia
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Message 12
From: "robert"
Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 02:41:54 +0000
Subject: [Baren 29442] Re: ancient dogs
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> How ancient are you looking? European cave paintings don't have dogs,
> but there are tons of later depictions. The Egyptians are a good place to
> start. And Medieval art is FULL of dogs. Check out Gaston Phoebus,
> especially!
ok I know a lot of you out there may not take full advantage of this so here is a no brainer when it comes to looking for pictures of dogs or what ever.
1. goto google.com
2. click the images tab
3. type dog or whatever the subject
4. 650.000 images will appear
wallah! instant choices. I know most people seem to overlook this wonderful tool.
cheers
rob
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Message 13
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 20:08:27 -0800
Subject: [Baren 29443] Re: photocopier hanshita / kyogo
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Hi Barbara,

I'd go with the wolves for ancient dogs, as they're descended from them. Or check medieval manuscripts for dogs from the middle ages. Something mastiff-like would do, or a long streaky hunting dog. Depends on how ancient you want to go.

You can google medieval dogs and see what you get. 8-]

Ellen


http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/

http://thepickledpen.blogspot.com/

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/philippaschuyler/my_photos
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Message 14
From: ReadDevine # aol.com
Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:20:59 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29444] Paint, Print, Sculpt, Print some more
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I know that if I settled down to one medium, I would probably learn more, but time is short! If I am fortunate to have another 40 years, there is still not enough time to try everything! My paintings sometimes look like prints and my prints, well I would love to get a 'painterly' feel to them. Over the years I have amassed an enormous anmount of paper and mediums and I think I need to use them all(!) I know in my heart that relief prints are what I really like to do best (and others tell my that they are my best even though I manage to many more paintings that prints).

I set myself projects, and having various exchanges to be responsible for helps me to stay focussed......Now, sculpture - thats really been catching my imagination lately......

--
Mellissa Read-Devine

http://www.readdevine.com/