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Message 1
From: sunsetbrew
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:45:43 -0400
Subject: [Baren 26213] Re: Japan and Exchange #23
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I don't know if i said it before, but your prints are just amazing Mike.

Thomas
--
Art...the new piece of mind.
http://www.sunsetbrew.com/

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Message 2
From: "Bea Gold"
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:53:10 -0700
Subject: [Baren 26214] Re: shui-yin
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Ray, do you remember that I wrote an article about what I thought was the
difference between hanga and shui-yin a several years ago. It must be in the
archives somewhere. What do you think, Gayle? Bea

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Message 3
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:54:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 26215] Akua Kolor Ink
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Not very wood block related......

Anne,
There is lots of info out there, but using materials is the real teacher. Dan Smith's ink is water clean up, but not really water soluble. It will not clean up with water after it dries even a bit. I have used it and it reacts sort of like oil based ink that dries fast....a retarder like Graphic chemical's water soluble vehicle might help you to use it up. It is made to roll on, not brush on as far as I can tell.

Akua Kolor makes two types of ink, the monotype ink that is made to use with brushes and the Akua 2 intaglio ink that is made to roll on. This is a honey based ink so it will not dry on the slab or your block for many many days (weeks?) but will dry on the paper fairly quickly if it is not applied to thickly. I am a transparent ink gal, so I never have a problem with stuff drying as I am always putting ink on so thinly you can barely see it on the roller or block. However, I still want strong colors. So I really know who makes ink with a lot of pigment as making it transparent is the real deal that separates the wheat from the chaf.

The monotype ink works well with moku hanga style printing, just be very sure to really shake up the bottle as the pigment settles out. I have had a bit of problem with the blue leaving tiny color spots, so think the pigment was just not ground up enough or I did not shake the bottle enough. You need to shake it for several minutes...a lot longer than we usually have patience for. If you want to roll out the monotype ink, you can use the tack thickener with it, which will make it more viscous.

Both the monotype and intaglio Akua Kolor inks have a gum in them...the gum actually swells with water so spraying a tiny bit of water into the ink will thicken it as well, temporarily, as will just leaveing it out in the open on the slab in a mound for a couple of days. This ink cleans up with water, but is also not truly water soluble, that is it does not mix totally with water. It will not rewet when dry...but as it takes it so very long to dry this doesn't seem to be a problem for anyone.

I have used Akua Kolor for all types of printing from fish printing to montoypes to etchings. It is like any other material, it has it's strong and weak points and you just have to work with it until you find out what you need to do to get it to mind you. Everyone works in their own way, so eventually you get the materials to do your bidding.....especially if you are determined like I am. Occasionally I give up, but not often. I really like the Akua Kolor intaglio colored inks. I am still waiting for the black to do what I want it too, it is close but does not quite give me the detail I get with oil based ink for etchings. However for teaching there is no substitute....it's strengths far outweigh it's weaknesses and the fact that it will print on dry paper for an etching is a marvel when you forget to soak paper for a demo.

If you like the Dan Smith ink except for the drying part, you might try Graphic Chemical's water based ink....I like it better than Dan Smith's, I think there is more pigment in it which is a plus if you thin it down for transparent printing the way I like to do and I think it dries slower.

Dan Smith started out as a printmaking company, but then was bought by someone else and is now an everything art supply company...so they will not really know the answers for printmaking unless you get a printmaker on the phone who uses that ink. They just tell you what they have in their cheat sheets and it is sometimes not complete enough to really help you, although they do try.

Graphic Chemical, on the other hand is only printmaking, so they really really know their stuff. A huge plus if you are having a problem. If they do not know the answer, they know who does as they have probably heard every question there is about ink and paper and then some. Dean was very helpful to me when I moved my press, although it was one they sold 20 years ago. Quite a nice thing, I thought. This is a wonderful resource for printmakers, this continuity with products for so many years.

Well, guess that is more than anyone wanted to know!
Best to all,
Barbara

>Barbara, I have bought some of the Akua Kolor and have read the info on line,
>but any further info you could give me I'd really appreciate. I also have bought
>some Daniel Smith's water base ink, but it dried to fast to really print well. I
>called DS and they suggested using a retarder that is for acrylic paint. Anne

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Message 4
From: Kevin Hull
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:59:17 -0400
Subject: [Baren 26216] Re: Mary Pratt prints
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I am very new here, but not new to wood-cuts and other print making
processes...and I am a bit surprised at the venom in regards to
photo-realistic wood-cuts. I would certainly consider Mike Lyons
Prints to be very "photo-realistic" very "Chuck Close-ian". What would
make Mike's work less valued than lets say Bull's work? I realize that
art is a very subjective process...someone may not "LIKE" a piece of
art but does that make it "less art". Look at Duchamps "Fountain"
where he entered a urinal in an art show. Or the color-fieldest the
famous "Black Canvas".

As for photography...there are many different photographers...the very
technical to very expressive...which is better? Again another
subjective opinion...there is no right or wrong answer.

I hope you see my point.

Kev

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Message 5
From: "Love Me"
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:25:05 +1000
Subject: [Baren 26217] Re: About your posting
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Hi Ray,

Thankyou very much for such a comprehensive reply. I have been in awe of
this method of printing ever since I came across a Lao Si print on Ebay;
the beauty of the colour, the organic textures, and the creation of a
magical sense of depth to the picture.

I have been making woodblocks for only a few months. I have a sense that I
should try to learn the 'clean' techniques first, and then hopefully move on
to incorporate a little shui-yin.

Tom in Australia

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Message 6
From: Bette Norcross Wappner
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 21:48:51 -0400
Subject: [Baren 26218] Re: Japan and Exchange #23
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Fantastic work, Mike. Your creations are always amazing :D
I think you need to be on the Discovery Channel - seriously. People
would eat you up!
Bette.


> PS I've uploaded three new little prints and a photo of the 16 blocks
> from which they were printed here:
> http://www.mlyon.com/prints/relief/2004_10_04_gift_prints.htm

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Message 7
From: sunsetbrew
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 22:20:45 -0400
Subject: [Baren 26219] it's your face print
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Here is my latest work that I plan to finish this week. I am not
using the japanese inks this time and instead i am using the speedball
inks. It is just a part of the effect i wanted for it.

It is part of a little political project i am doing. You might see
copies of this around where you live if you are in the US, who knows?

It started like this...
http://img70.exs.cx/img70/8749/7650.jpg

hand planed, sanded and cut into this...
http://img81.exs.cx/img81/3829/sam_carve7.jpg

then hand brushed and printed into...
http://img81.exs.cx/img81/2268/sam_print8.jpg
http://img90.exs.cx/img90/7171/sam_print7.jpg

Only 23 more to go...

Thomas

--
Art...the new piece of mind.
http://www.sunsetbrew.com/

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Message 8
From: "Aimee Youmans"
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 13:32:13 -0800
Subject: [Baren 26220] Re: New Baren Digest (Text) V29 #2816 (Oct 10, 2004)
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thanks for the link to the pratt/arikushi work. absolutely amazing--i had
no idea this could be done. The sky's the limit, i guess, if one has the
talent, time, and enduring patience.....As to the chinese watercolor prints,
that is your method, Ray, non? I thank you for the info about
info....hope to find out more about it.
ps--i'll crow about this (cockadoodledo): still waiting for a bunch of

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Message 9
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 22:55:57 -0500
Subject: [Baren 26221] Re: Woodblock prints designed by Mary Pratt ... printed by Masato Arikushi
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Here is a photo of the printmaker in another collaboration project (book)
with another Canadian printmaker....

http://lucielambert.com/people_terre.htm


Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois)

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Message 10
From: "Bea Gold"
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 22:25:08 -0700
Subject: [Baren 26222] Re: shui-yin
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Sharen Linders remembered that the article on shui-yin was in Issue 4 of the
Baren-Suji. Here's the URL
http://www.barenforum.org/newsletter/issue04/issue04.html#feature1
I hope you enjoy it. Bea Gold

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