Posted by Dave Bull at 5:30 AM, April 18, 2010 [Permalink]
Remember seeing the 'karazuri' block a few weeks ago?
Well, today it came front and center, to print the embossed pattern around the edges of the first two prints of the Mystique series. Let's step through the process ...
Paper out of the stack, and into the registration marks:
Holding the paper firmly but gently with a few fingers pressing on one of the 'islands' on the wood, I print the pattern by beginning in the center:
Then running out to the left ...
And to the right. All the time, keeping the paper firmly in place with my right hand.
But I can't get to the bottom right corner, so I temporarily hold the paper on the other island:
And switch my right hand to an angle that allows me ...
... to reach the edge of the paper:
Then switch yet again, to holding with my thumb, allowing me to reach ...
... that final strip below my hand:
And a final check, to make sure all areas got covered. I have to put some of them back on the block to touch-up places I missed, or printed too lightly.
The sheets are drying now, and I'll scan one in the morning, and update the Mystique web pages then.
Hi Dave,
Have you dampened the block, or are you using any paste on this impression, or is the only moisture in the paper? I missed watching the webcam on this. Cheers, Mark.
It's a 'naked' impression ... no paste, no nothing, and I use a fairly strong baren.
The paper should have been quite moist, but as this was towards the end of the process, I had let it get a bit too dry (especially around the edges, right where it was important for this one!). So I had to re-moisten the batch before doing this impression, or it would have been simply impossible to control.
Hi Dave,
It's amazing how often I reference your old posts to find answers to any question I might have--what a resource for learners like myself! My first question was: Is the paper moist at this point (answered above). But if so, a second question is do you have to adjust how you dry prints with karazuri? Can it still be done between matboards, or with a lighter touch?
Thanks so much for you time,
Ben
Drying proceeds completely as usual, with the sheets getting an initial 'air dry' to remove the bulk of the moisture, then going inbetween mat boards for the final step (to keep them flat of course). That pressure doesn't affect the karazuri at all, as it is evenly distributed across the sheets.
For a kimedashi, one has to be a bit more careful at the drying stage, because the embossment can be quite pronounced.
