Re: Ruined 3rd tricolor gum print! Grrrr...
Chris What a charming gallery. I have been reading about using Photoshop to salvage old photos, but this is a far more attractive way to revitalise them. Who was the original photographer (reminiscent of JH Lartigue)? Don Sweet ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net> To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca> Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 2:18 AM Subject: Re: Ruined 3rd tricolor gum print! Grrrr... > Loris, > You are right to cut down phthalo. It is an incredibly concentrated > pigment. However, I develop it longer if it is too strong and that seems to > help. > > Flaking--your layer is too thick with not enough exposure, but also the base > layers beneath have created more of a slippery surface for the final layer > to hang onto. Thus you could thin out the final layer and brush it on very > carefully. I might thin it with, let's say, 2 di: 1 gum/color. This will > make the layer faster because of the increased dichromate and thinner layer > but that may help you even more. > > The thing about gum is it is never a done deal--scrape off the layer and > start again. > > What is ironic is just as you are dealing with this as a problem, I am > encouraging it. This latest series of gums I am doing is the least > photographic series I have ever done. I am working with old family > photographs/glass slides that are wrecked and molded. Thus the images can't > get much worse. > > I am attempting them to look more like silkscreens. Thus, I print two of > the same image at once, and one I leave photographic and then one I have > been scraping away areas of color and then printing other layers on top. I > am REALLY loving it, but then again I won't have any idea of the reception > of the prints. People may not like them at all. But I am finding that I am > putting the play back into gum printing and embracing mistakes. > > At the risk of intense criticism, I am including the first image I did of > this series in both the non scraped and scraped form. Be kind. BTW all the > dust and mold? Like I said, that is imbedded in the glass slide image. > Slide is probably about 50 years old. And this slide is actually one of the > ones that is in BETTER shape. > > If you click on the link below you will come to the Family of Origin gallery > and at the bottom left are the two images first in the row. > > http://christinaanderson.visualserver.com/portfolio.cfm?nK=5571&nS=12&nL=1 > > SO what I am saying to you is that the print that just flaked and looks > yukky, if you can't salvage it, scrape and print another layer on top, or at > the VERY least do NOT throw it away. Keep it for later because you may > realize it is pretty interesting stuff. > Chris > __________________ > > Christina Z. Anderson > http://christinaZanderson.com/ > __________________ > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Loris Medici" <mail@loris.medici.name> > To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca> > Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 7:34 AM > Subject: Ruined 3rd tricolor gum print! Grrrr... > > > > Hi all, > > > > I'm trying tricolor gum printing using plain paper negatives. > > > > I start with yellow (Schmincke 208 Aureolin Modern PY151 Benzimidazolone), > > then I print the magenta (Schmincke 351 Ruby Red PV19 Quinacridone Red) > > and everything (tonality, smoothness, color) is good & nice up to here... > > > > As the last layer, I print the cyan (Schmincke 479 Helio Cerulean PB15:3 > > Phtalocyanine Blue) and somehow it's too overwhelming, very uneven, and it > > flakes like crazy! > > > > Pigment amounts are as following: > > 1. Yellow, pea sized, into 3.75ml gum + 3.75ml dichromate > > 2. Magenta, lentil sized (read as: half of yellow), same as 1 > > 3. Cyan, lentil sized (same as magenta), same as 1 > > > > Exposure times and dichromate amounts are the same for all three layers > > (15mins., 20% ammonium dichromate). I use automatic development for 30 > > minutes, sometimes a little longer according to how it looks. > > > > I don't know why I'm having this problem but will try to (all together): > > a) Print in the opposite order (1. Cyan, 2. Magenta, 3. Yellow) > > b) Use even less cyan pigment to match the color intensity of previous > > layers > > c) Try to not panic while struggling to coat an extra even cyan layer... > > > > What can you say? Any ideas on why I'm stuck that way? > > > > Thanks in advance, > > Loris. > > > > > > >
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