Baren Digest              Friday, 10 January 2003      Volume 22 : Number 2089


----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: G Wohlken <blueman#pantek.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 10:00:00 +0000
Subject: [Baren 20359] Condolences, smoke under moonlight, traps and frames 

Dean, I'm sorry about the loss of your father.  From what people are 
saying on Baren, he must have been a unique and respected person among 
printmakers.  

* * *
Dave, in studying the step by step process of John Amoss' and your 
collaborative print, it is amazing to watch the changes from the 
beginning line drawing to the dynamic night of billowing angry smoke 
which is emerging.  It's coming alive in a way that makes me remember 
the part of Cleveland called "The Flats" where all the steel mills used 
to be  operating at full steam.  By moonlight it was quite a sight as 
you crossed the bridge to downtown and looked deep into that valley of 
smoke and fire beside the Cuyahoga River.

* * *


>>now I'm
>>cutting all the blocks exactly, building traps and frames
>>


Maria, what do you mean by "traps and frames"?  

I just carved the mechanical parts (the kento and the left and lower 
margin beneath the image area)  of my first cherry block for the 
exchange and I like how cherry is more controllable to carve than the 
poplar I have been using for so many of my oil based prints.  But, I'm 
getting anxious about what Maria said about the "transparency" not 
covering things.  Does that mean the black outlines won't cover the 
colored parts that are under it?  I thought it would.  

Gayle
Ohio     


>  >




------------------------------

From: Frank Trueba <ftrueba#cats.ucsc.edu>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 07:02:10 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20360] Re: Of Goats and Sheep received 

Hi Carol,

Glad you liked my card.

And I didn't think we (Barenites) ever actually put
an arrival date on our New Year cards.  As you point
out, various cultures uses different measures.  I just
happen to go with the Japanese custom of Jan 1st,
because I just think it is so neat that a whole country
gets behind a tradition so much so that the government
(in the form of the postal service) has to bend to the
will of the people (special postal boxes, etc).

Take care,
frank


------------------------------

From: "marilynn smih" <marilynnsmih#hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 07:04:51 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20361] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2088 

Dave and John I so enjoyed viewing the progress of this print.  As a 
painter, both oils and watercolors it was exciting for me to see the 
progress of pigment overlays.  I am learning from this and sadly will not be 
online for awhile as our trip to baja is looming just a bit away and I will 
be without an internet server for awhile until we get connected down there.  
I hope you will give out a web address so I can view this when I get 
setup?????? This is my last time online before we head to thecity and our 
flight south.  thanks so much for the hard work it takes to share this print 
and all the steps.  What a wonderful collabration.I do think one should find 
joy in creating and fun in our exchanges, but obviously work of this caliber 
we live through time.  Thanks again for this wonderful sharing of your 
process.
Marilynn Smith soon to be living again in the Baja



------------------------------

From: "Maria Diener (aka Arango)" <maria#mariarango.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 07:57:49 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20362] RE:  traps and frames


> Maria, what do you mean by "traps and frames"?
>


A "trap" is a graphics arts term; in the case I'm referring to, I'm building
some lines that will be printed in a darker color and that overlap two of
the lighter color areas where they abut. If the registration is off by a
hair or two, the overlap will "trap" the lighter color and the slight gap is
thus invisible. I also have another "trap" in the form of blank paper
between one of my elements and the background, that is, I built a carved
blank area so that the background and the main element don't overlap at all.
A "frame" means a frame :-) I re-measured my blocks and found that two of
them are slightly wider and taller, so to avoid trying to remember which
block is which and making sure the larger block doesn't overshoot the
margins of the others, I'm making a thin frame around the whole print out of
the largest block, also to be printed in a darker color. And by "thin" I
mean Maria-thin or about 2-3 mils, not Dave-thin (which looks like a
fraction of a hair).
This all sounds like my image is complicated and requires perfect
registration, which is misleading. I planned this very simple image so that
there are a few areas that require great registration and others where it
won't matter. For my first moku-hanga print, I decided NOT to challenge
myself too much. I still don't know if, in 9% humidity, I can hold the paper
in a state of consistent dampness from block to block. I am going to use two
plastic bags with damp blotters in them; I will take out the piece of
predampened paper, print whatever I'm printing, then into the other bag it
goes, thus minimizing air exposure time to that piece and the rest of the
stack. After this weekend, I should know if I can do this.
As far as transparency, a double printed black or umber outline will cover a
single printed lighter color (I tested a couple days ago). Even a single
printed black outline covers some of my lighter colors. It doesn't exactly
cover it like an opaque ink, but it effectively obliterates the edge of the
other color.

Maria, wondering what the heck she got herself into

<||><||><||><||><||><||>
     Maria Arango
  Las Vegas Nevada USA
  www.1000woodcuts.com
<||><||><||><||><||><||>



------------------------------

From: Imke Lewis <imke#renaissanceribbons.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 08:40:43 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20363] Re: Oak Type Cabinets

At 06:21 PM 1/7/2003 -0800, Imke Lewis wrote:

>Now I am wondering if anybody knows where I could find oak type cabinets for
>sale. We would like to include those in our letterpress shop and are willing
>to ship from any location.

>Have you checked eBAY? http://www.ebay.com <http://www.ebay.com/>  -- those
>are frequently auctioned these days...  But you'll have to consider the
>location, too.

>- -- Mike



Thank you,
Mike - it looks pretty good, right size and nice work top...
 I will see if I dare the e-bay game..
Imke




------------------------------

From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 12:46:06 EST
Subject: [Baren 20364] exchange 16      ???? 

when will the holding pen folks be added to the list?

john center

------------------------------

From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 12:05:25 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20365] Re: exchange 16      ???? 

OOPS, thanks for the reminder -- they're actually already up there, but 
I'll fix it right now.
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_sign-up.html

- -- Mike

At 12:46 PM 1/9/2003 -0500, you wrote:

>when will the holding pen folks be added to the list?
>john center


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  


------------------------------

From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 13:09:21 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20366] Re:  traps and frames 


"Maria, wondering what the heck she got herself into...."

Sounds to me like someone is having lots of fun with her printmaking...

Julio

------------------------------

From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 20:38:36 EST
Subject: [Baren 20367] first hanga 

x-virgin   completed my first japanese wood cut.  might be interesting to 
combine both printing process and may be one printed with the same block 
printed both ways on the same print.

printing was easier than i thought it would be   but will have to learn how 
to keep the paper from wrinkling.  Looking forward to this summers hanga 
workshop

john center

------------------------------

From: jimandkatemundie#juno.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 22:02:46 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20368] Dave and John's collaboration 

Dave wrote:
 

> After just about a week of work on the 'collaboration' print with 
> John Amoss, there are now 21 'steps' completed in the process. There

are 

> around 15 or so still to go ...
> 
> I've just updated the web section with images of all the woodblocks, 
> so it's now 'easy' to see how each impression is made ...
> 
> http://woodblock.com/surimono/process/5


Dave, in viewing the recent progress it seems to me that two steps might
have been combined to save you a bit of work.  Perhaps it is just my
monitor, but it seems to me that the base color for the sky (step 16)
looks mighty similar to the base color for the steam plume (step 23). 
Perhaps the difference in color is much more apparent in person, but I
wondered -- given the apparently identical color on both blocks -- why
you didn't choose to simply include the steam as part of the sky block in
step 16.  Is the color really that different that it necessitated another
block?  

I'm also curious in a complicated print like this how you select which
blocks will share which colors.  Does the spacing between two different
color areas determine most of that, or do you prefer to group certain
color 'families' together?  That task alone must have taken quite a bit
of time before the carving could begin.

I look forward to seeing the final stages.

James Mundie
http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/index.htm

------------------------------

From: David Bull <davebull#woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 12:09:32 +0900
Subject: [Baren 20369] Re: Dave and John's collaboration 

Jim wrote:

>  -- why you didn't choose to simply include the steam as
> part of the sky block in step 16.  Is the color really that
> different that it necessitated another block?


Funny you ask this question just now - about two minutes ago I uploaded 
step 26, which shows the answer!  (There is a gradation on the steam 
plume ... necessitating a block separate from the background ...)


> I'm also curious in a complicated print like this how you select which
> blocks will share which colors.  Does the spacing between two different
> color areas determine most of that, or do you prefer to group certain
> color 'families' together?


Simply by how far apart the areas are - and what size brushes I will be 
using. I need 'three fingers' space usually ...  I've never given any 
thought whatsoever to colour families here.

I haven't done it with this print, but it is frequently possible to 
print two impressions (different colours) off the same block at the same 
time. Two pots ... two brushes ... work quickly ... then lay the paper 
on and print them together. It saves a lot of time.

Thanks for tuning in!

Dave


------------------------------

From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 00:11:58 EST
Subject: [Baren 20370] Re: Dave and John's collaboration 

dave can't wait to see the finished product   way cool      fine craftsman 
ship is always worth looking at   sometimes it seems to be a lost art.

john center


------------------------------

From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc#prodigy.net>
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 03:58:37 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20371] Re: Dave and John's collaboration 

David

Wow, what a great job you two are doing on the print.

If you have 26 images to transfer, then you have 13 blocks, right?  When you
have finished with that substantial pile of blocks and I assume that they
are all cherry wood and quite expensive, do you then sand them down for
another print, or store them away.

Another question on Hanga.
 If it is a simple print (not like yours), why cant you transfer the colors
first and then print the keyblock over the colors? As you print so many
colors then they all "have" to be exactly to the line, or the lines may
become fainter each time a color touches or even accidentally over  laps.
Probably a dumb question but curiosity got the better of me.

Jeanne N.


------------------------------

From: David Bull <davebull#woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 20:37:49 +0900
Subject: [Baren 20372] Re: Dave and John's collaboration 

Jeanne wrote:

> Wow, what a great job you two are doing on the print.


Us two? Nobody here but this turkey ... John is back in Georgia, taking 
a vacation or something ...  :-)

By the way, you perhaps haven't realized it, but this paper mill is 
right down your way. It's in a small town called Milton, just a few 
miles north of Pensacola ...  Beautiful Florida scenery!


> If you have 26 images to transfer, then you have 13 blocks, right?


Actually, there are 8 pieces of wood, of which 14 sides have been 
carved. If you look closely at some of the block images in that 
sequence, you will see in a number of cases that multiple printing areas 
have been carved on the same face.


> When you
> have finished with that substantial pile of blocks and I assume that 
> they
> are all cherry wood and quite expensive, do you then sand them down for
> another print, or store them away.


Stored, absolutely! Remember, my editions are never limited, and I fully 
intend to reprint these blocks (or have them reprinted) again in the 
future. I sort of joke that my pile of blocks is 'my pension', and it's 
not really a joke ...  They have been used for around 200 copies, and 
for good cherrywood, that's nothing - just a warmup. They are in perfect 
condition, and can make many many more beautiful prints.


> If it is a simple print (not like yours), why cant you transfer the 
> colors
> first and then print the keyblock over the colors? As you print so many
> colors then they all "have" to be exactly to the line, or the lines may
> become fainter each time a color touches or even accidentally over  
> laps.


It's certainly possible to print the colours first and keyblock last - 
if it is a fairly simple design. In traditional work - with fine lines - 
the keyblock _has_ to come first, or you'll never get the colours 
accurately registered.

As for 'overlapping', etc., that's not a problem at all, because the 
pigments used are all _transparent_. They run right over the pre-printed 
key block lines, but don't cover them up at all. Check this page:
http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/000_01/000_01.html
... and scroll down to the section at the bottom that shows three 
colours (skin, yellow, blue), and how they 'cover' the black lines ...  
Because they are transparent though, the lines show through clearly in 
the finished print.

Dave


------------------------------

End of Baren Digest V22 #2089
*****************************