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Message 1
From: debra percival
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 06:12:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 36380] speedball inks story
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I love Speedball screen filler, and their drawing fluid. I use the screen filler in just about every medium I work in printmaking. However I absolutely hate their inks and will never ever have their ink in my studio ever, ever again. Years ago I did an edition of large silkscreens. I checked on the prints a year later that had been stored in my map drawers and the yellow speedball ink had mold on it. That and the fact that I do not like how the colors mix, finished me off on ever using their ink. Throwing out all that artwork on big sheets of paper was hard.
I use my etching inks both oil and water based when I do woodcut. I clean up oil based inks with cooking oil and soap and water.
To finish, I have never had a mold problem with any of my other products and artwork.

Debra James Percival
Artist/Instructor/Non-Toxic Printmaker
www.debrajamespercival.com

(902) 892-8363

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Message 2
From: "Terry Peart"
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 06:54:41 -0700
Subject: [Baren 36381] Re: cutting paper and deckling
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> It is simple enough to get a large cutting mat and a long stainless
> steel ruler and cut your paper to size with a blade.

> Tom in Australia

For cutting paper I use 'quilters' tools - rotary cutter and see-thru acrylic rulers, (I prefer Omnigrid, I think they are very accurate) and the cutting mat. Sometimes the grids on the mat are not accurate - it's easier to use the ruler. The rulers will give you very square corners.
Being a quilter, too, I already had all these things - and find them very easy to use. When my husband discovered them, he saw how cool and accurate they are. He is always trying to borrow - I tell him, No! these are women's tools! (but I let him use them).
Terry
West Seattle

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Message 3
From: Annie Bissett
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 10:03:27 -0400
Subject: [Baren 36382] Moku Hanga Pigments
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Welcome Linda. I too fell in love with woodblock a few years ago --
it's quite a love affair to keep up with!

On the topic of which pigments I use for moku hanga, I really like
the pigment dispersions from Guerra Paint and Pigment in NY.

http://www.guerrapaint.com/tandc.html

Here's what Guerra's web site says about dispersions:

Dispersion: Highly concentrated, free-flowing (viscous) stable
liquids in which the pigment particles are suspended in water.
Dispersions are produced by mixing dry pigments with water and other
dispersing agents.

The advantages to using dispersions as compared to dry pigments are:
1) They are quick and easy to use.
2) There are no airborne particles, so they are safer.
3) Dispersions give far greater brilliance and tinting
strength than dry pigments because they are more finely ground than
you could do by hand.
4) With certain pigments, the fineness of grind allows for
beautifully intense transparencies.
5) Since they are pure pigments concentrates, they give a
cleaner, more intense color.

I started using these simply because they were used at the first
workshop I took. I really like them, but can't claim to have done any
comparisons with other types.

best,
Annie B in Massachusetts

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Message 4
From: Diane Cutter
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:03:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 36383] Re: Am I too prejudiced?
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I'm a long-time lino printmaker and love the rich, stark, solid inking. However, since the Baren Summit two years ago, I've begun woodcuts. Each has their uses. Linocuts are great for large areas of solid color, crisp lines; woodcuts are great for extremely fine details. Depending upon the image, I'll pick whichever one works best. Since I use all-shina ply with 'western' inking, I'm not taking advantage of a grain.

I am especially taken with the 1920s-1940s linocut work, especially by Herschel Logan, who used both beautifully. Most of his work is woodcut but his portraits are linocuts... See the links.

http://www.kshs.org/cool3/loganprint.htm
http://legendfinearts.com/logan.htm


Diane

www.dianecutter.com
www.theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
www.DCutter.etsy.com

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Message 5
From: Charles Morgan
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:13:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 36384] Re: wood vs. lino
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Thanks, Sharri. You are a SWEETIEEE!!!! Give yourself a big hug from me ...

That is a very nice series ... I like the mug theme.

Cheers ...... Charles

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Message 6
From: Charles Morgan
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:28:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 36385] Re: speedball inks story
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Hello Debra,

That is a very strange story about the mold on the inks. Speedball screen printing inks are acrylic ... very different from their water-based block printing inks ... very different still from their oily inks.

WARNING: not woodblock related

For screen printing, I just use wall paper paste and pigment dispersions ... easy clean up and no clogging of the screen ... and you have complete control of the colors. By the way, if you use the right pigments, your layers are transparent, so you get very nice mixing of colors with overlays ... and with transparent inks, you get the reflection of light from the paper below for that nice glow. If you want opacity, use opaque pigments or add titanium white.

What inks are you using for screen printing?

Cheers ..... Charles

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Message 7
From: slinders # comcast.net
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:22:13 -0500
Subject: [Baren 36386] Re: cutting paper and deckling
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One of my best investments was a long tear bar from Graphic....
A good tear bar is surprisingly expensive, but I've never
regretted the purchase! They make tearing so much more
accurate! (They are like a long ruler, only much heavier,
wider, and thicker, thinned along the 'tear' side.) It took me
years to convince myself that I needed it, -and it was Christmas
gift money, but it's terrific to have!

Sharen

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Message 8
From: "Amanda Miller"
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 11:02:33 -0400
Subject: [Baren 36387] Re: wood vs. lino
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I love the prints at Coffee Grinder Press! Where do you get the vinyl? Is
it hard on your tools? Would you recommend it for teaching?
Cheers!
Amanda

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Message 9
From: "Lee Churchill"
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 09:14:32 -0600
Subject: [Baren 36388] Speedball vs other inks
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I haven't chimed in in a while but as a conservator this one strikes
close to home! "Special staff" can't fix everything, it's not possible
to undo light damage or any number of other problems!

Speedball inks are considered lesser quality because they are. Any time
you pay less for a product there is a very good chance that the
components in it are inferior. The water based Speedball inks are more
like low grade watercolour than 'real' printing ink, they tend to fade
in light, they are almost impossible to wash (as mentioned the binder
remains water soluble), I've seen powdering, and among other possible
problems they can grow mould fairly easily and I've seen a number where
condensation has caused them to stick to the glazing (the works
obviously weren't museum mounted).

In my museum we do tend to ask about all the materials that were used in
an artwork, especially if it is suspected that they are unusual in some
way - UV hardened rubber ink, for instance. But because we have near
'ideal' conditions (low light on display, dark storage, controlled RH,
and temperature) we don't worry as much as I would encourage a private
collector to.

While I'm all for improvising and cheap alternatives for barens, carving
tools and blocks, my work has taught me that there is no substitute for
using the best quality paper and inks!

Cheers,

Lee


The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator
brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and
interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to
the creative act. (Marcel Duchamp)

>Exactly what is wrong with Speedball inks.?
>
>I use many different inks. There is no difference in woodblock prints
>that
>I have for over 10 years. 100 years? I don't know!
>
>Never has a museum, gallery, or collector asked me what kind of ink I
>used.
>In fact, I remember at a lecture by a Museum curator in the Print Show
>at
>the NYC Armory, she said that any possible problem she has can be taken
>care
>of by the special staff. That was encouraging to hear.
>
>Carol Lyons
>_http://rst-art.com/artfulcarol.htm_
>(http://rst-art.com/artfulcarol.htm)
>

>Carol - I think it's mostly a matter of 'snobbery' because Speedball
>is suggested for student work - mind you, when I used to hand colour
>prints I found that
>Speedball (water based) black lines I printed would bleed a bit even
>when well dried and Graphic Chemical water soluble inks didn't at all -
>also
>have you not found that the Speedball oily inks dry too quickly on
>the rolling out plate??
>
>
>Louise C.

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