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Message 1
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:15:54 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37150] Re: woodcut tool advice
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Hi Tara.

There has been some interesting and worthy feedback about tools.
I can concur with Eli about the “V” tool. The factor I don’t like about
them is they are very difficult to sharpen. I do have a very small on
that I use on very few occassions...
The small Sankaku-to 1.5 mm is my choice.

If you are going to be at this sport.... mokuhanga ... for a long time
because you have been bitten by the bug.... I suggest you don’t buy
cheap (inexpensive) tools. If you are here for a short time then
go for the best of the cheapest. I know from personal experience
and have recommended them for bootcamp that the set of tools offered
by LeeValley are perfect for you... The set is around $35.00
If you do decide on the set... ask LeeValley to change the
75* parting - 4.5 mm to a 60* parting - 1.5 mm. (V gouges)
I have had cooperation of changing a tool here in Canada and see
no reason why they would not do this out of the US office..

If I have one criticism of tools like these.... Fixed blades in a wooden
handle .... as you sharpen them the blade length get
shorter and shorter.... I liken it to musician who uses an instrument
and the strings or levers or keys keep changing. Most difficult.
Also the shorter the blades get the more difficult it is the sharpen
them.

The beauty about the Japanese tools is the blades are moveable
so you can maintain the same length all the time.
Also the quality is such that they tools will last you a life time....
in my case it will last my son’s life time to boot.....
If you break a blade... easy to get replacements.

If you go to my web site .... Materials for bootcamp....
http://www.woodblockart.ca/bootcamp/materials.html
there is a good list of suggestions that my be worth of looky lou.....

If you need any more help or suggestions... contact me off list.

Regards
Graham

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Message 2
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:20:56 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37151] RE: question re hanga exchange
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Sarah asked:

1. is it really required to use Japanese paper for your print?

2. Is it really required for it to be a multiple-block print?

3. are we not "allowed" to use any hand-coloring

---
I don't really want to make a "final decision" on this but would much prefer
the moku-hanga folks and perhaps some of the participants to express their
opinions and we can take it from there.

As this is a "technique challenge", the "game" is supposed to abide by the
technique and use alternative methods for the other 3 per year free
exchanges. My personal preference:

-Flexible on the paper, I know that for example BFK Light is used by many of
our moku-hanga members and works well with the technique.

-By definition, according to Mike Lyon's previous post, moku-hanga implies
multi-color/multi-block.

-Hand-colored prints are a different technique, certainly well-respected and
with their own tradition; as far as I know, all colors in a moku-hanga print
should be actually "printed".

Others can chime in, please, especially those already signed up for the
exchange.

Maria

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

 

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Message 3
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:28:49 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37152] RE: woodcut tool advice
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Tara, I would say at minimum start with a straight knife or toh, and one u-chisel and one v-chisel.
For a short time when I started I used exclusively a 3mm u and v for all my carving.
I soon craved smaller detail tools and a larger u for clearing.
I soon craved every goshdarned tool in the catalog...everyone's catalog!

But to start with, I would recommend Flexcut as outlined above or the Baren Mall's traditional tools with the removable blade. I never cared for the straight skinny handle tools at all.
http://www.woodcraft.com
or http://www.rockler.com
or http://barenforum.org click on Baren Mall

Maria

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

> Hi! I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice on what tools
> to buy? I have been spoiled by belonging to a good studio with nice
> shared tools, and I have to buy my own for the first time. I am on a
> pretty tight budget, so I was hoping I could get away with the
> Speedball lino set, but it is just horrible.
>
> How do you all feel about the Daniel Smith set?
>
> Do I need to bite the bullet and buy something good? What do you think
> is the best tool for the money?

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Message 4
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:32:02 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37153] Re: question re hanga exchange
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Maria Arango wrote:
>
> -By definition, according to Mike Lyon's previous post, moku-hanga
> implies
> multi-color/multi-block.

I have seen moku hanga prints that are only one colour.

I don’t truly know if because they are one colour that they become
something else.

I thought moku hanga was a print that was achieved by the method of
wooden plates and waterbase pigments.

Someone may be have feedback re this....

Colour me curious
Graham

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Message 5
From: Dave Bull
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:01:57 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37154] Improving blog feeds ...
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We're trying to improve how the [Baren] blog feeds works, and I have
learned how to improve the filtering of the blogs to make it less
likely that posts with no woodblock content make it through onto our
feed.

There are even more [Baren] members with blogs, but because they post
material _other_ than woodblock from time to time, they haven't felt
able to have their blogs listed on our feed. Here's an example:
http://rsimola.blogspot.com/
... lots of woodblock content, but lots of 'other' content as well.

Here's what we need you bloggers to do - start using 'category/labels'
on your blog posts.

One of the [Baren] bloggers - Mark Mason - has been doing this all
along:
http://curiouslydrawn.blogspot.com/

You can see on his page a list of categories, among which is
'Woodblock' ...

So that's what we would like to work on; we would appreciate it if you
would start using the label 'Woodblock' - applying it to your posts
that have woodblock content. (To ensure we catch them properly, use
just the single word 'Woodblock', with a capital 'W')

If you can do this, then we can list your blog even though you also
post non-woodblock content, as long as you follow that labelling rule.
(It doesn't matter what you do with your historical posts, just new
ones from now on ...)

Once you've made the change and started doing this, please let me know
(off-list of course), and I will update our feed software. Once most of
you have done this, I'll flip the 'master switch' and tell the software
to ignore all blog posts without the label.

This should help keep our focus I think, and it should give blog owners
a bit more freedom to write about other topics, without worrying about
disturbing [Baren].

Thanks ...

Dave

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Message 6
From: ArtSpotiB # aol.com
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:42:36 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37155] Re: restrikes
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lacking in personal courage

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Message 7
From: Dave Bull
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:55:22 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37156] Re: Improving blog feeds ...
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> Here's what we need you bloggers to do - start using 'category/labels'
> on your blog posts.

OK, a couple of people have written to me already ... 'reminding' me
that we went over this just a few months ago. Actually, it was around a
year ago, and I had thought that nothing much seemed to get resolved.

But this afternoon I have discovered - after some time updating many of
the blog links - that many of you _are indeed_ now using the labels I
requested. (Nobody actually let me know about that though, which is why
I had assumed no change ...)

So no panic on this. Thank you to those who _are_ using labels that
allow us to pull out the posts with good related content, and I hope
that the rest of you will consider doing this. You can choose your own
label; whatever suits your own work - for example, 'printmaking'
'woodblock' 'woodcut' 'lino' etc. etc., and as long as you _do_
actually let me know what you are doing, I will set our software to
parse your feed correctly, looking for your particular label. You can
then use your blog to publish whatever other content you like, and it
won't bother us at all.

Apologies for harping on this same topic again. I'll get back to my
bench now, and will keep quiet about this!

Dave

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Message 8
From: Cucamongie # aol.com
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:43:14 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37157] Ellen's hanga brush question
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Ellen, as a possibly cheaper alternative to the Japanese brushes,I have
found that for very small areas, (around 2" or smaller), that stencil brushes
work very well. I have some German ones made by Loew-Cornell that do a good
job. For a big background area on a 5" x 7" block, I would use either a small
marubake or a larger hanga bake brush, depending on the size of the area.

Just my two cents!

Sarah

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