SEPTEMBER 2014
Monologue This month has been a very long and quite depressing month for us. Perhaps you already know why so we’d just skip it for the sake of the delayed contents. Here at Dear we work independently, and sometimes being too independent makes us lose track of stuffs, especially when new opportunity and projects came. That’s the stuff that happened to us. Sorry.
For the next few publications we’re going to focus on another series. This time about production, especially print production, and to start we’re discussing the oldest technology that were invented as a media of communication at that time. As the publication goes on, we’re going to discuss stuffs that are more modern and developed. But as always, and again for the sake of enjoyment we’re still keeping things simple.
On this moment we reflect on ourselves and the past 8 months. We see ourselves grow, and we are thankful, especially to those who dropped and say hi, we are grateful for the appreciation. We are still learning, still trying stuffs, but to see someone that supports us is one of a kind joy. So thank you, for you readers, for supporters of our work, we are totally happy of our work. and so, please enjoy our production.
Contents
The Print Age Early Large Scale Productions Demand and Supply Article References: Image References: 2
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In a world where our eyes serve as the window of our soul, we see and discover new things in life. Visual communication today is not the same as 1 millennia before.
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GRAPHIC PRODUCTION
A
s time progresses, human mind and technology also develops in a never ending cycle of demand and
supply. Human thrives for more, while technology always evolves to quench a never ending thirst of the mind. In just one day our eyes could not escape visual communication. May it be printed or digital. Visual communication is everywhere. Visual communication will develop and evolve in various form and means as long as the human race has the infinite thirst of knowledge and the thrive for perfection. This discussion focuses on the
made, and perhaps most of them
logic and progression of several
are ignored as people say today is
techniques, not an in depth
the age of digital communications.
procedure of the technique itself.
The use of digital devices as a
So for those expecting a detailed
means of communication and
information about the production,
information source starts to kill
we encourage you to have your own
print, slowly.
research as describing the detailed process will take too much space.
Some may argue the misuse and excessive use of paper is the reason
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The Print Age
that digital media are developed.
Though our publication deck
First it was a development that
sounded heavy the discussion is still
acts as an alternate solution for
light, so hold the urge to close the
the global warming issue around
page. Design or art or simply letters
4-6 years ago, but as we see now
are produced everyday in a pace
that digital media has slowly shift
we can’t possibly imagine unless
and gains an important position
we see it for ourselves. Countless
in our everyday life, making prints
of production, especially prints, are
somewhat less fancy than before.
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GRAPHIC PRODUCTION
But back before the term RGB is in
patterned seal. The tool is simply
a trend, people literally work hard
a cylinder, made with metal or any
for graphic production.
hard other objects that had the desired graphic as a embossed
Take an early example of
relief. The cylinder is then pressed
hieroglyphs and cave markings left
and rolled on a clay or any material
by the early civilizations. The marks
to stamp on. The material then
were sign of communication and
will have the desired graphic in a
records which we can understand
debossed manner.
now, but these kind of graphic production are somewhat one of
The logic of stamp is later on
a kind and is basically a drawing
developed in wood cutting, in which
gesture, something fundamental
the relief this time is applied with
that some people still do today.
ink and then used on the desired
Another record of graphic
material. In this manner the image
production would be stamps, which
produced may be a soft surface,
are used as seals.
as previously stamps are used with force to create a deboss effect, ink
One tool that is quite unique is the
stamps may be used to produce
cylinder seal. Used to produce a
image without harming the material.
seal that uses less force than a flat square stamp, the cylinder seal can
Ukiyoe, or woodblock printing is a
also be used to create a seamless
popular art in Japan, as woodblock
Cylinder Seal
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GRAPHIC PRODUCTION Opposite Page: Wood Etching
printing needs a artist craftsmanship to etch or cut the wood. The artist then apply colored ink on the wood to create a colorful image. Each colored are normally applied on one wood, so to produce a 4 colored image, normally it would need 4 woods, with one color on each wood. This craft needs precision to
etch a letter on wood, especially if
perform well.
the letter is used as a passage. This
Great Wave off Kanagawa by a famous Woodcut print artist, Hokusai.
shows the limitations of woodblock Though normally one color per
printing, as the ones that can craft
wood is used, some artist manage
well are usually talented or skilled
to create several techniques
person, this makes the production
and also tricks to overcome the
of woodblock limited and time
limitation. One coloring technique
consuming. Another limitations
that is often used are gradients, as
where the size. In which to create
it can create depth on the image
the print a wood is needed, so to
and also save cost and space in the
produce a huge image it would
production. Another technique is
require a huge wood as the base
by dividing the colors on separate
for cutting. Even if the wood
distant area so that it is possible
is not gigantic, it is still hard to
to use two colored inks on one
bring 4 woods from one place to
application. The logic behind
another place to create a 4 colored
woodblock is quite similar with the
image. The media of wood is not
basic logic of screen printing. The
flexible at that time and has many
context of wood block usage are
limitations although the results were
often images, as it is quite hard to
captivating.
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Early Large Scale Productions
that the clay becomes hard. These
Around 900 AD, the demand for
characters where then arranged on
books has started to grow. At that
a mixture of pine, resin, wax and
time to produce books, scribes or
paper ash. The characters were
scholars are employed to write a
arranged with a help of an iron
book, making a book production
frame to help the adjustments,
very time consuming and also
and to hold them. After adjusted
energy consuming. Production
the characters were pressed with a
using woodblock print is also out of
wooden board to help it become
the question since creating a master
flat.
for printing, especially text are very delicate, and time consuming. It
Later on the flattened characters
was time for a new technique or
were used with a stamp like
production to emerge.
mechanism to create prints, especially text prints. This method
Recored first at China, made by
answers the first demands of book
Bi Sheng, he used a sticky clay in
printing, though it still has flaws it
small pieces and then cut them
started a path of moveable type in
as alphabet characters, Chinese
China. One refinement made after
characters to be exact, which were
Bi Sheng’s invention was by Wong
as thin as coins, and then heated so
Zhen that made the characters by wood to create a sturdier and stronger character that won’t break easily. Another refinement was by Hua Sui that made the characters by bronze, providing an even sturdier character then Wong Zhen’s. Early tools for printing in China after various developments.
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Although the term moveable type wasn’t use to describe Bi Sheng’s invention, the definition of the term moveable type fits on how the method of Bi Sheng works. Moveable type was described as a printing technique that uses the arrangements or adjustments of the smallest type of the print to compose a document, which is type.
The term moveable type is used to describe the invention of Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg, or Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, was a goldsmith, blacksmith, printer and also publisher. A pioneer of moveable type printing.
Gutenberg was credited for the innovation of moveable type in Europe, also the invention of matrix and also hand held mold for supporting the printing process, though some argue that Gutenberg does really uses them.
Other than tools and also methods,
From top to bottom: Gutenberg, Matrix, and hand mould.
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Gutenberg is also credited as the
Another printing technique that
first that uses oil based inks for
we would like to point out is the
printing.
Lithography, which means to write on stone. Lithography uses the
One of Gutenberg’s most famous
principle that oil and water does
work is the Gutenberg Bible, which
not mix. The technique was first
also helped the Bible to spread
used by Alois Senefelder, a German
faster than before. With printing
actor and playwright. Alois first used
the Bible has also become easier
lithography to produce play scripts.
to read. Gutenberg also still
The technique goes as the mirrored
incorporates
image is sculpted on the base,
scripts,
which is limestone at that time.
ornaments in his Bible so that
The image to be produced or the
the Bible still
positive image is made higher than
has an aesthetic
the negative image. The positive
beauty, though
image is then applied with a water
not all Bibles
repelling substance while the
has the artistic
negative image retains water. The
decoration.
limestone is than given ink, and the positive image automatically repels
The Gutenberg
the water and captures all the ink
Bible also forms
which is later pressed on paper to
a standard
create a print.
for the later
Gutenberg’s Bible details.
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Bibles that were
Creating lithography with limestone
produced, such
also enables to artist to create
as 36- Line Bible, Mentelin’s Latin
texture and also renders an image
Bible and Eggestein Bibles in which
more easily than woodblock.
they follow Gutenberg’s format.
Although the use of limestone
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in printing is not really used in
understand and to appreciate the
printing anymore, the principles of
production aspect of design and
lithography itself is than used on
art. We can learn and enjoy various
various printing and also developed
medias, especially print medias
for other printing techniques.
because people of the past develop
A lime stone for lithography
and refine various methods to
Demand and Supply
remove boundaries on production.
As time progresses, people will need more things and surely
When we understand the hardships
new methods and techniques of
behind the production process,
production will be available. As
perhaps we can learn more and do
artists or designers we may not
more by emphasizing the unique
need to be fully master production
points of the production. If we
techniques, but it is important to
are blind of all the techniques,
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than other people that are open
It enables us to work faster, but
and learn more surely will be able
when we are blind, than technology
to produce more. Mix media in
wouldn’t be a supportive aspect in
production is also possible when we
our work flow, perhaps it may even
understand various techniques. The
make things complicated if we knew
possibility is limitless if we truly want
nothing at all. Keep learning folks,
to push ourselves into creating more
don’t stop after you finish creating
with different, various and multiple
your design. Learn to maximize your
techniques. We believe great works
design with various productions
are produced with careful though
available at your disposal, exploit
throughout all aspects, not just in
the techniques, as a designer or
computer using a software only.
artist, it never hurts to have more arsenal for creating your work isn’t
In the end technology is meant
it? Push yourselves, learn more, try
to help us to be more productive.
more stuffs.
Article References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinder_seal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable_type http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_Sheng http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_(printing) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_mould http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Koenig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithography
Image References: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Johannes_Gutenberg.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Gutenberg_Bible_4.jpg http://sites.lib.byu.edu/sc/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2011/05/IMG_06951.jpg http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/section_15/ dde15d9dccb73a8f916c0e3409a1761f.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G4XBuPv9lSc/TwbGVzMxdkI/AAAAAAAAA_g/fK4Hfc0sDBg/ s1600/5%2B%2BArsenal%2B-%2Bcap%2BA2%2B-%2B1%2Baa.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/BulletMolds.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Lithography_stone_Princeton_motif.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Preparing_a_Woodcut_Design.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg http://www.itemview.com/item_pages/images/full_size/36103.jpg http://www.absolutechinatours.com/UploadFiles/ImageBase/Bisheng-printing-chineseinventions-5.jpg
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Next Discussion: And we keep on going. After discussing a little about early graphic production, we’re gonna talk about the next technologies, which we can’t really talk much yet since there are still final things to be decided. The content is on it’s way, so perhaps the next one will be far faster from this one. Really.
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