Today's postings

  1. [Baren 31958] Drawing white on black (baren_member # barenforum.org)
  2. [Baren 31960] Re: sketching question (cairn) (Reneeaugrin # aol.com)
  3. [Baren 31959] Re: Drawing white on black (David Harrison)
  4. [Baren 31961] Barbara Patera and exchange 30 ("Doug")
  5. [Baren 31962] Re: Drawing white on black (Barbara Mason)
  6. [Baren 31963] Laszlo Universal handpress (Breon Gilleran)
  7. [Baren 31964] RE: sketching question (cairn) ("Maria Arango")
  8. [Baren 31965] Re: Laszlo Universal handpress (Charles Morgan)
  9. [Baren 31966] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
  10. [Baren 31967] The Alphabet... just a thought for a title of the upcoming project (ArtSpotiB # aol.com)
  11. [Baren 31968] Re: Japanese Display in Perth (Jan Telfer)
  12. [Baren 31969] nude art (Charles Morgan)
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Message 1
From: baren_member # barenforum.org
Date: 2 Oct 2006 14:57:59 -0000
Subject: [Baren 31958] Drawing white on black

Message posted from: Dale Phelps

We have a group that does life drawing once a week. One very good artist covers his paper with conte crayon and then proceeds to erase the light areas. The result was exceptional. I have tried it a couple of times with varying success. I have always been impressed with Matisse and his white line drawings on a black background. I used that technique for the image for my nude exchange print.

Dale Phelsps, Waterloo, IA
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Message 2
From: Reneeaugrin # aol.com
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:25:37 EDT
Subject: [Baren 31960] Re: sketching question (cairn)
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Hi Oscar and all,

When I teach drawing, I use this method to break the participants out of
that black line on white -- too much like the written word. It really frees
them up from wanting to surround everything in a black line. I usually have
them do this with charcoal on a fairly large paper -- 14 x 18" -- at first they
complain about all the dust but the drawings turn out just beautiful -- maybe
we will do that today! This is also a great form for printmaking as it is
like carving away the darks -- I love it!

Cheers,

Renee
PS I will have an interview published in a local paper this week -- we'll
see how it turns out.
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Message 3
From: David Harrison
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:29:19 +0100
Subject: [Baren 31959] Re: Drawing white on black
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That's a great idea about the conte crayon...on a similar note, has
anyone seen this page?

http://www.warrencriswell.com/linocuts.html

He describes using dark backgrounds and very stiff white ink to create a
sketch-like effect. Nifty. Could anyone hazard a guess as to the stiff
white he'd be using?

cheers,

David H
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Message 4
From: "Doug"
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 10:52:06 -0600
Subject: [Baren 31961] Barbara Patera and exchange 30
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Would Barbara Patera please contact me at my email address. I seem to have
a wrong address for you and a message was kicked back to me.

Thanks
Doug
www.haugdesigns.com
719/473.4284
2521 W. Dale Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
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Message 5
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 14:11:20 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 31962] Re: Drawing white on black
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Litho ink with mag carb in it would be my first guess, you can get it really stiff but it is still oil based ink so "plastic" as he mentioned. Lets email him and ask him.
Best to all,
Barbara
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Message 6
From: Breon Gilleran
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:42:59 -0400
Subject: [Baren 31963] Laszlo Universal handpress
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Hello,

I was recently hired to teach a relief printing class at a small
college here in Baltimore, MD. The press available to us is the Laszlo
Universal Handpress, but there are no press beds. The only thing I can
find in the room is a piece of melamine plywood that has no bevel. Is
there a way to get this press in working order without the original
press beds? I called the Rembrandt Graphic Arts Co. and they said they
could make new ones for 240$ a piece which I'd rather not spend. I'm a
sculptor (NOT a printmaker sorry to say but I'm learning fast) and I
could grind down the edge of the plywood so it'll catch in the rollers
easily. I can also place shims along the edges of the block to ensure an
even surface as the plywood advances into the rollers. Where does one
buy press blankets?

I understand this press hasn't been made for 30 years!

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Breon Gilleran
Adjunct Professor Art Dept.
Goucher College
Baltimore, MD
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Message 7
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 19:35:02 -0700
Subject: [Baren 31964] RE: sketching question (cairn)
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Oscar, this is quite interesting to me as a former Psych major (the kind
that explores sensation/perception/cognition) and because I constantly
explain to the general public the very concept of "working backwards".
In school we also did the "pulling out the lights" exercises and I found
them to be quite natural to me in that I could come up with complete figure
drawings showing perfect mass, form, etc. in just a few eraser strokes while
the rest of the class was still thinking. This was not the case when we
grabbed the pastels and drew melons in a basket.

Being of inquisitive nature, I researched the matter a bit and found that
"pulling out the lights" is what we do when we "see." Take the simplest of
subjects in black and white and immediately the student wants to delineate
where light and dark meet, thus calling that boundary a "line." But in the
real world, there is no such thing as a line per se. We force linear
divisions between shapes and masses, light and dark, even light-er and
dark-er. Look around you.

The interesting paradox of the art of the woodcut is that we are initially
working exactly as we see, that is, we see the light (!) reflected in
objects and gouge out of the dark to reveal the form, shape, mass, etc.
However we then end up with the strongest of "lines", i.e, the division
between absolute white and absolute dark, which is completely counter to
reality. So we start out "real" and end up "unreal."
In fact, we add another intermediating translation process when we sketch a
few lines either on paper or block, then translate those lines into areas to
remove (lights), leaving the areas to be printed (darks). And yet the result
is beautiful and, most importantly, absolutely unique to the woodcut art. I
think that is why I have found that the less I sketch, the better my
intuitive carving becomes as I eliminate the artificial line and therefore
the whole translation process and let my right brain find the shapes out of
the dark by carving the lights.

So anyhow, all we have to do is shut down the interfering left brain and let
the right brain do the "seeing." Then, if we could, somehow bypass the
cerebrum thing altogether and let the cerebellum take over the muscles that
guide the eraser :-) I promise we will come up with the perfect woodcut.

In any case, carve on any which way you can!
Maria

PS Three rocks have now been tossed into the cairn...it's already growing


Maria Arango
www.1000woodcuts.com
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Message 8
From: Charles Morgan
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:34:16 -0700
Subject: [Baren 31965] Re: Laszlo Universal handpress
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> I was recently hired to teach a relief printing class at a small
> college here in Baltimore, MD. The press available to us is the
> Laszlo Universal Handpress, but there are no press beds. The only
> thing I can find in the room is a piece of melamine plywood that has no bevel.

That melamine plywood may well be the press bed, or at least what
they were using. Measure it, or just try it to see if it works.

> Is there a way to get this press in working order without the
> original press beds? I called the Rembrandt Graphic Arts Co. and
> they said they could make new ones for 240$ a piece which I'd
> rather not spend. I'm a sculptor (NOT a printmaker sorry to say but
> I'm learning fast) and I could grind down the edge of the plywood
> so it'll catch in the rollers easily. I can also place shims along
> the edges of the block to ensure an even surface as the plywood
> advances into the rollers.


I do not know the Laszlo Universal Hand Press. But I believe it is
basically an etching press. If I am mistaken, then just ignore my
comments below, and excuse me for speaking out of turn. {;-}}}}

Such modifications are probably not required. During use, you should
never run the bed so far that it comes completely out from between
the top and bottom rollers. Most beds have "stop" to prevent them
from coming all the way out ... the "stop" may be something as simple
as a bolt through each end of the bed. If the bed has been removed,
then either there were no stops or the stop has been removed from one
end of the bed. Anyway, you should not have to bevel the end of the
bed at all. Just raise the top roller and insert the bed between the
two rollers.

Many less expensive etching presses these days have beds made from
counter top material ... just MDF (medium density fiber board) with a
melamine surface. They work just fine. They are light weight, they do
not warp, nor do they rust. And you can easily wipe any stray ink off
the surface. If the piece you have does not fit your press, just
measure the width of the bed required ... which is the length of the
roller on the press. Basically the bed can be as long as you like.
There is no need to make it longer than the length of a standard
sheet of paper, plus about 1 foot or so. Go to any shop in town that
makes counter tops, and they can cut you a piece of melamine counter
top to your required dimensions. Explain to them that you want it
flat on the top and bottom, no rolled edges and no backsplash ...
explain what it is for and they should understand. Should be a LOT
cheaper than other alternatives. Melamine counter top material is
about 3/4 of an inch thick. So as long as the separation between the
upper and lower rollers on the press will accommodate the thickness
of the blocks you want to print, plus any blankets, plus 3/4 of an
inch, you should be fine.


> Where does one buy press blankets?

Graphic Chemical and Ink is one source. If you are trying to do
things very cheaply, you may be able to get by with a couple of thin
pieces of "felt" from a local fabric store and a sheet of closed cell
foam, commonly sold in camping supply stores to put under your
sleeping bag. If you are going to be doing just relief printing, you
will not need anything more than the thin fabric store felts anyway
... might not really need those ... just back your paper on top of
the block with mat board or something similar. Experiment a little
before investing big bucks in "real etching felts".


>I understand this press hasn't been made for 30 years!
>
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>Breon Gilleran
>Adjunct Professor Art Dept.
>Goucher College
>Baltimore, MD

I remember Goucher College ... I believe it was an all girl's school
when I was at Johns Hopkins in the late 1960's.

Good luck with your press ... let us know how things work out.

Cheers ....... Charles
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Message 9
From: Blog Manager
Date: 3 Oct 2006 03:55:09 -0000
Subject: [Baren 31966] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification
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This is an automatic update message being sent to [Baren] by the forum blog software.

The following new entries were found on the listed printmaker's websites during the past 24 hours. (23 sites checked, five minutes before midnight Eastern time)

*****************

Site Name: Woodblock Dreams

Author: Annie B
Item: Reba Stewart Part 2
http://woodblockdreams.blogspot.com/2006/10/reba-stewart-part-2.html

*****************

Site Name: Printmakingblog

Author: Printblog
Item: IMPACT 5
http://printmakersmaterials.blogspot.com/2006/10/impact-5.html

*****************

Site Name: m.Lee Fine Art

Author: m.Lee
Item:
http://mleeprints.blogspot.com/2006/10/sea-turtle-originally-uploaded-by-m.html

*****************

Site Name: Belinda Del Pesco Fine Art Blog

Author: bdelpesco
Item: Painting in Public: The Boddy House Gallery
http://belindadelpesco.blogspot.com/2006/10/painting-in-public-boddy-house-gallery.html

*****************

[Baren] members: if you have a printmaking blog (or a website with a published ATOM feed), and wish it to be included in this daily checklist, please write to the Baren Blog Manager at:
http://barenforum.org/contact_baren.php

For reference, sites/blogs currently being checked are:
http://barenforum.org/blog
http://woodblock.com
http://woodblockdreams.blogspot.com
http://studiodiary.blogspot.com
http://larimerart.blogspot.com
http://artflights.blogspot.com
http://printmakersmaterials.blogspot.com
http://mlyon.com/blog
http://room535.blogspot.com
http://mleeprints.blogspot.com
http://snowgum.blogspot.com
http://onthisblock.blogspot.com
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
http://theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
http://PLawing-Printmaker.blogspot.com
http://readdevine.blogspot.com
http://mokuhankan.com/conversations
http://mokuhankan.com
http://belindadelpesco.blogspot.com
http://vizart.blogspot.com
http://phare-camp.blogspot.com
http://amymstoner.blogspot.com
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Message 10
From: ArtSpotiB # aol.com
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 00:51:01 EDT
Subject: [Baren 31967] The Alphabet... just a thought for a title of the upcoming project
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Hello.

I continue to be a big fan of The Baren and Bareners. Thanks so much for your
generosity of spirit and of giving information, adventures and inspiration.

There's a well done "Word a Day" listserve (fee'd unless you take a less
frequent version) that also extends my knowledge and thoughts. Here's a relevant
one for the Alphabet Project. (see below)


abecedarian (ay-bee-see-DAYR-ee-uhn) noun

   1. One who is learning the alphabet.

   2. One who teaches the alphabet.

   3. One who is a beginner in some field.

adjective

   1. Alphabetically arranged.

   2. Relating to the alphabet.

   3. Rudimentary

[From Medieval Latin abecedarium (alphabet or a book of the alphabet),
from the letters a, b, c, and d.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=abecedarian

-Anu Garg (garg wordsmith.org)

  "Jeff Blitz gets into the shoes of these fascinating abecedarians,
   most of whom sit at the nerd table in their middle-school cafeteria."
   Carrie Rickey; Spellbound; The Philadelphia Inquirer; May 28, 2003.

............................................................................
In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the
rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing
civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest
honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have. -Lee Iacocca,
automobile executive (1924- )

Best.

ArtSpot Out
Benny Alba at OMebase

History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of
urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.
-Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (1908-1993)
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Message 11
From: Jan Telfer
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 13:43:03 +0800
Subject: [Baren 31968] Re: Japanese Display in Perth
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Yesterday I was at the Perth Royal Show calligraphing bookmarks for the
public for four hours!
This year they have a special Japanese display with specialist
activities from our three sister cities in Japan, with displays of
sushi making each day and ikebana and floral arrangements and drumming,
etc and on display photos of the cities, pieces of paper made in those
areas, wooden toys, etc but no mention of Woodblock printing anywhere.

One of the attendees there behind the saki table didn't understand what
I was asking and the Australian lady on the information desk said there
wasn't anything like that anywhere on the display.
I was so disappointed I went out in disgust!

So much for Promoting Wonderful Japanese cultural things!..........If
they'd have asked me I would have gladly given some time to being there
and having some "stuff" on display.

Jan
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Message 12
From: Charles Morgan
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2006 05:44:18 -0700
Subject: [Baren 31969] nude art
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Our two exchanges on the nude are about to be released (I hope!!!).
This article in yesterday's New York Times should serve as a bit of
warning to us all. Apparently a teacher was suspended because on an
approved field trip to a Dallas museum, one of her students saw a
piece of artwork depicting a nude.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/education/30teacher.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

So be careful how you display your nude prints ... you never know ....

Cheers ....... Charles