Baren
Encyclopedia
Baren is a Japan
ese hand tool used in printmaking
processes such as woodcut
or lino cut
.
The baren is a disk like device with a flat bottom and on the reverse side, a knotted handle. Paper is placed on an inked block and the baren is used to burnish (firmly rub) the back of a sheet of paper to pick up ink from a wood or linoleum cut.
, but can also be applied to the block using brushes following the methods used in Japan where the baren originated. As well, some people use soluble pencils to colour the block and then dampen it before making a print.
leaf covering the whole, twisted in such a manner as to form the handle on the top. Coil and covering of the baren are woven and formed from parts of the bamboo plant, requiring the skill of a true master. Only one known person in Japan is still making traditional baren for a living.
Nik Semenoff has developed a palm press that serves as a baren replacement, made with a number of roller bearings alternating on two close spaced shafts in a small hand held mounting. The bearings have negligible friction and the pressures achievable are suitable for some offset
lithography
printing, though wider spacing of fewer contact points may make it less suited for traditional wood cut printing.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese hand tool used in printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
processes such as woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
or lino cut
Linoleum
Linoleum is a floor covering made from renewable materials such as solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing; pigments are often added to the materials.The finest linoleum floors,...
.
The baren is a disk like device with a flat bottom and on the reverse side, a knotted handle. Paper is placed on an inked block and the baren is used to burnish (firmly rub) the back of a sheet of paper to pick up ink from a wood or linoleum cut.
Process
The ink is rolled on with a hand roller called a brayerBrayer
A brayer is a hand roller used in printmaking techniques to spread ink in the process of offsetting an image from a plate to paper.-Materials:...
, but can also be applied to the block using brushes following the methods used in Japan where the baren originated. As well, some people use soluble pencils to colour the block and then dampen it before making a print.
Construction
The disk inside the baren takes 40–50 days to create, as the craftsman glues one sheet of paper on the disk each day. The disk must then dry for a year's time before the baren is assembled. The baren is made of layers, the paper backing, a flat coil of woven rope covering it, then a bambooBamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
leaf covering the whole, twisted in such a manner as to form the handle on the top. Coil and covering of the baren are woven and formed from parts of the bamboo plant, requiring the skill of a true master. Only one known person in Japan is still making traditional baren for a living.
Alternatives
Large wooden spoons are also used as burnishing tools in printmaking, glass jars with a smooth circular base can also be used for some applications. Some new world barens are similar in shape to the traditional one with small metal ball bearings embedded in the bottom surface that generate the high point contact pressures (supplied by the braided cord) and have the low friction (offered by the bamboo leaf covering) of a traditional brayer. Another interesting baren is one developed by Professor Seishi Ozakus and made from a bundle of bamboo toothpicks.Nik Semenoff has developed a palm press that serves as a baren replacement, made with a number of roller bearings alternating on two close spaced shafts in a small hand held mounting. The bearings have negligible friction and the pressures achievable are suitable for some offset
Offset
The term offset may refer to:* Carbon offset, a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions* Offset agreement, trade practice in Aerospace and Defense Industry...
lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
printing, though wider spacing of fewer contact points may make it less suited for traditional wood cut printing.
External links
- The Baren Forum for Woodblock Printmaking - lots of pertinent details about barens and a topical mailing list with archives
- Sashas' Roller bearing Palm Press - details on how to make (or buy) your own palm press
- Professor Seishi Ozakus' Toothpick Baren - details on how to make your own toothpick baren
- Printing Etchings with a Palm Press - instructions for using Palm Press made from furniture casterCasterA caster is an undriven, single, double, or compound wheel that is designed to be mounted to the bottom of a larger object so as to enable that object to be easily moved...
s by Charles Morgans