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Message 1
From: "Mark Mason"
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:33:28 -0000
Subject: [Baren 34805] RE: Mike's reply to A couple technical questions
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Hi Alex,

I wholeheartedly agree with Mike's "Easy Hanshita" method. I did exactly the same thing for my new year rat. I imported the image I'm using into Photoshop (in this case 2 images which I tinkered about with and combined), set the canvas size to the paper size I'm using, centred, scaled and reversed the image, and then, using a fairly large brush set to black did a small line up the middle of one side edge, and another L shaped line in the corresponding bottom corner. The important bit was to make sure the lines go over the edge of the canvas size so there's no need to measure accurate kentos, the edge of the canvas becomes your ready-made kento line to cut. When you print the image onto ordinary paper the Kento marks are clean, sharp, and in exactly the right position for the paper you'll do your woodblock prints on.

As long as the print-outs are pasted quickly (so they don't stretch) and securely to the block and left to dry naturally, cutting through the paper onto the block is a breeze, and as Mike says, you hardly notice the paper.

The only little problem I found was when I was cutting a very tight, detailed area, (in my print it was a little 1 inch rat), the image became a tiny mass of paper edges that got quite confusing when doing the second cut to remove the sliver of wood from each side of the line. I ended up soaking the paper off that area after I'd cut around all the lines and cleared the wood after the block had re-dried.

I can't remember if it was on the Forum, or on David's conversation page, but Mike wrote a great "tutorial" on using Photoshop to create individual hanshitas for multicoloured blocks. If it wasn't on this forum, a copy of it here would be very useful.

Cheers,

Mark.

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Message 2
From: L Cass
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:09:32 -0500
Subject: [Baren 34806] Re: printing damp
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Jean - for what it's worth ...and as someone who has difficulties
with registration and not enough patience.. I have found that
when printing a second colour ,e.g. with oily inks on dampened paper
the registration is a bit off and the paper has not appeared
to returned to its original size -it would appear that the inked
areas prevent (parts of) the paper from stretching and shrinking again
- its seems less apparent with waterbased colours...
Louise Cass

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Message 3
From: L Cass
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:58:46 -0500
Subject: [Baren 34807] Re: Knives.
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Apologies for 2 rather insignificant emails involving minutiae but if
Sharri reads this -you mentioned the little sharpening blocks
McClain's sells - I bought their
newest one when we visited there at the 2006 ? summit out west -(
Was the old block cow hide and the new one horse - do you remember?)
also got a pile of
shina and some cherry blocks which they shipped (free!) - I'm so
happy to have it all as it's almost as hard to find nice wood here in
Toronto (there are lumberyards
out of town but have't seen their wares yet as I don't drive)
suppliers out of as in the U.K. (and I recall people it Poole
Printmakers having problems- they spent time
trying to cut all sorts of mysterious bits of wood they'd come
across) So Mark , I do use a leather mounted block for honing and
will eventually obtain a 'hangito' to
compare with the little chip carving knifes - will send a pic of them
- the maker here in Ontario, it seems, has just designed knives with
new shaped handles to make
for more comfortable gripping .... Terri, thanks for your email -
hope you received my reply
and Aeleen Frisch what a v. handsome green boar and interesting
recipe for chile verde!
Louise Cass

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Message 4
From: slinders # comcast.net
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:30:38 -0600
Subject: [Baren 34808] Re: printing damp
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Hi, Louise,

Are you calendaring your dampened paper before your first
printing? (running your damp paper through the press at pressure
but without the block?) Usually that will take most of the
stretch out of the paper and subsequent runs through the press
will have less 'give', and will register more accurately.

Sharen

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Message 5
From: Formschnider # aol.com
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:27:22 EST
Subject: [Baren 34809] Re: wood
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i get my wood from a hard wood lumberyard most big cities have at least
one, chicago has 3 a lot cheaper than going to any art supply dealer. now
wood engraving blocks have to be made by someone with some woodworking skills
and good tools. i buy leno blocks from art supply stores but they cost
more than wood from a lumber yard.

john c.

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Message 6
From: Formschnider # aol.com
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:32:04 EST
Subject: [Baren 34810] Re: wood
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the cost of a plank of maple or cherry from a lumber yard is a lot less than
what it would cost from a art supply dealer, it takes me about 20 mins to
cut and sand a large board of maple or cherry.

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Message 7
From: Shawn + Elizabeth Newton
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:01:09 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 34811] super heavy duty printing press!
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Here's a printing press I could enjoy. You could
use it for everything... and they even have a
super large... scroll down to the bottom to see
that one.

http://www.yardandgardendirect.com/lawnroller.htm


Shawn

It's your life, it's the only one you have, live it for YOU.
-wise sage

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Message 8
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:43:05 -0800
Subject: [Baren 34812] two updates, no wait three!
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Uno: Exchange 29 proper is now online!!!! oh joy...
Please thank Julie Sparks for sending me a beautiful colophon, and Darrell
Madis for his hard work in getting me the images nicely formatted so I could
update the galleries. It is an awesome exchange, enjoy!
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchanges.html

Dos: Exchange 4, the Self Portrait Exchange has until now been missing
Julianne Kershaw's contribution for reasons nobody knows. I shamefully admit
to having coordinated the exchange, how I missed her image is beyond me.
Anyhow, it is all corrected now with the full participant list. Take a
gander into our past and check out the "faces" of Baren (well, some faces of
Baren).

Tres: The Cairn received a new block today making it almost complete, Gilda,
you are a trooper! That's amazing! I am now arranging the blocks, will
update the website soonly enough, and waiting for the paper to arrive from
Graphic Chemical. A huge round of applause to
Julio-the-facilitator-Rodriguez and the folks at Graphic Chemical, Dean and
Sue, for helping out our project with a generous discount. Their support of
printmaking goes back a long time and they are truly champions of customer
service to artists.
Check them out: http://www.graphicchemical.com/

Don't you guys just LOVE my manic phase??? HMMMMMM????

Maria


Maria Arango
http://1000woodcuts.com
http://artfestivalguide.info

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