Re: oil print color media
Hi:
I'm using Winton oil colors. Its a relatvely inexpensive brand - didn't want
to spend a lot of money til I had some idea of whether or not the technique
would work.
I use a spirit sensitizer - 6 % ammonium dichromate mixed with 2 parts of
isopropyl alchohol. I really want to avoid tray sensitizing - I don't want
to work with large volumes of dicrhromate if I don't have to.
Do you brush on your pottasium dichromate or soak your sheets in a tray of
dicrhromate?
I've been trying different techniques for laying down the gelatin. I had
started with coating 3 layers of ~ 5% gelatin with a brush. I'm trying to
come up with a way of getting a thick coat in one step. I will try higher
concentrations of gelatin. The last print I inked I found I was not able to
get the media to "differentiate" the finer details in mid tones - it was able
to differentiate between the shadows and highlights. How much impact does
the concentration of gelatin have on inking the matrix? Was going to try 10%
gelatin the next time.
Last time I tried coating with a threaded rod - worked OK - but I worked witth
a large sheet of paper 22" by 25". I discovered my countertop is uneven
enough to make it nearly impossible to get an even coat with a threaded rod.
In the past I would coat smaller pieces of paper and put a sheet of glass
underneath - didn't have any glass big enough for a full sheet. Wiill try
putting something under the paper that gives a little bit to compensate for
the uneven surface of my counter top. Was going to try a large foam roller
and see if it can put down a thick layer. Was also trying to come up with a
way of making a comb that would spread a thick layer - may try trowels for
putting down flooring adhesive - but I think they would damage the paper.
My negatives are large format pinhole negatives on film. - a bit contrasty -
but not outrageous.
On Monday 22 January 2007 10:34 am, henk thijs wrote:
> Gordon,
> thanks for the info; doing oil-printing for several years now, and also
> using pigment with standoil, oil paint etc. just some
> remarks/questions:
> - in my experience there are 'good' & 'bad' brands for oil-paint, which
> do you use ?
> - what about the gelatine coating; in the literature i found 6 percent
> gel several coats; for me the best was 3 coats of 10%. What is your
> experience?
> -what about the dichromate? I use a 10 percent pot. dichromate, coating
> twice.
> - i use paper negs, very contrasty, like the one for cyanotypes.
>
> Cheers,
> Henk
>
> On 22 jan 2007, at 6:08, Gordon J. Holtslander wrote:
> > Hi:
> >
> > Just a FYI in case other people are working with oil prints. I've been
> > trying to find a media to make "constructed color images" using oil
> > printing. An oil print is similar to a bromoil print. It relies on
> > using a oily media that is repelled by water.
> >
> > I have been experimenting with a variety of media to use for doing
> > color
> > oil prints. I've been avoiding using litho inks - I think using
> > smaller
> > volumes with a wider range of pigments is more manageble.
> >
> > Most references I've read state thats its possible to make your own oil
> > print media using tube of oil paint with magnesium carbonate and or wax
> > added to make the paint stiff enough to use with oil printing. Others
> > state its possible to make an oil media by mixing stand oil with
> > pigment. I was not able to produce an oil media "stiff" enough to use
> > with the oil print matrixes I produced with either of these methods.
> > The
> > media was not sufficiently repelled by water to be effective.
> >
> > I have found a technique that looks promising. I tried using litho
> > varnish, mixed with tube oil colors. This produces an oil media that
> > is
> > sufficiently stiff enough to work on the oil print matrixes I make.
> > Litho varnish is used in lithography to stiffen a litho ink. Litho
> > varnish is produced in a range of numbers - the higher the number the
> > stiffer the varnish. I'm using a number 8 varnish - from American
> > Chemical & Ink.
> >
> > This appears to produce an oil media stiff enough for oil printing .
> > Now all I have to do is make better oil matrixes.
> >
> > Gord Holtslander
>
> ------------------------------------
> www.thijs-foto.com
> ------------------------------------
--
Gordon J. Holtslander Dept. of Biology
gordon.holtslander@usask.ca University of Saskatchewan
Tel 306 966-4433 112 Science Place
Fax 306 966-4462 Saskatoon SK., CANADA
homepage.usask.ca~gjh289 S7N 5E2