[alt-photo] Re: pigments for gum

Tue Dec 13 15:00:13 GMT 2011

Thanks, Chris.  That's very generous of you.  I agree, too, that this  
List has been incredibly helpful and informative through the years.   
And I know I mention this all the time, like I have stock in the PF  
Journal or something, but whenever I look at that stack of the ones I  
own, I am consistently amazed (and appreciative) of how generous and  
knowledgeable  the contributors were.

And, Peter, while I understand your point that there are so many  
variables, that to provide your "A List" would be somewhat  
pointless--  that does conflict with the idea that others might  be  
able (or want) to "steal" your palette or your "signature" way of  
working.   My suspicion is that anybody who takes the trouble and time  
to learn and practice gum-printing, probably also desperately wants to  
have his or her own "signature style," and is in-- no way-- interested  
in copying someone else's printing.

I remember taking a course, years ago, with Tom Carabasi-- an amazing  
photographer.  Someone in the workshop commented that he was  
incredibly generous with information, and how rare that seemed to be  
among photographers.  And I'll never forget his response.  He said  
something to the effect --  "I'll tell you anything you want to know,  
in detail, because no matter how much information I give you, I know  
you (no one) will ever be able to see and print the way I do."

That comment suggests a certain security about his own work and way of  
seeing, but also simply speaks the truth.  For any of us who have  
taught (or taken) photography workshops, alt process or otherwise, you  
know that you can stand there and watch someone (or they can stand  
there and watch you) print in detail, with all kinds of notes in front  
of them-- but the look of the instructor will never be duplicated, or  
even similar (in my experience).  And that's not for a lack of ability  
on anyone's part; rather, that's because we each have our own way of  
seeing and doing, and we also want to have our own "look" and  
signature style.  If I went to all this trouble to learn gum, or any  
alt process, and my work ended up looking like someone else's, I'd be  
really disillusioned with that.

So, to my mind, to offer a list of pigments people might like to try  
is simply a helpful guideline.  I've used pigments others have  
suggested here on the List.  Some I loved and continue to use; others  
not so much.  But I do like those helpful suggestions..  So, thanks,  
Chris, and others.

Diana

On Dec 13, 2011, at 9:15 AM, Christina Anderson wrote:

> Trevor and others,
>
> Please forgive, looooooonnnnngggg post.
>
> Caveat: The following for those who size.
>
> I hope I am not being so bold as to butt into your convo with Peter,  
> and my list is not his list which you had asked for, but maybe this  
> is of help to you anyway.
>
> My only requirement for a pigment to make my list is that it is  
> lightfast. I don't care about staining vs. non-staining because  
> sizing makes that a moot point. I do care about lightfastness, and  
> have had to eliminate questionable colors that I love, mostly in the  
> red category. There is speculation that a pigment imbedded in a  
> hardened layer of gum might be more lightfast therefore, and maybe  
> one can therefore use a pigment in the "II" lightfast category, but  
> I've just stayed with the ones below that I can depend on.
>
> I keep about 30 on hand at any time, but tend to use only several of  
> each color. For instance, I used to use PR 209 but it is too cherry  
> or peachy red for my tastes now. I can spot it a mile away in prints  
> I have used it in.
> Another color I used to use is PY110, a beautiful color but awfully  
> gold. It is good at times, though! Other practitioners will vary.
>
> I don't much use greens or oranges, really...or purple.
>
> PIgment choice for gum is huge. For casein, my deciding factor,  
> since I am a stock pigment/colloid kind of person, would be those  
> that don't contain metallic salts that precipitate casein. I learned  
> that the hard way. My favorite yellow, Nickel Azo PY150 will become  
> a lump after several weeks. So did my magenta.
>
> DS is Daniel Smith, WN Winsor Newton, MG M. Graham, M Maimeri, then  
> there's Schmincke and Rembrandt and Da Vinci on there, too. I  
> usually do this: I find a lightfast pigment by number, then I buy  
> all brands of it that I can locate of the high quality kind.
>
> I don't use student grade. I rarely buy WN because it is expensive  
> here, albeit good. I absolutely LOVE Schmincke and Maimeri but I  
> usually use M. Graham because it is so darn cheap and it is what is  
> available at our university bookstore. I teach, in fact, with stock  
> solutions of M. Graham mixed up in half-liter bottles. A magenta,  
> cyan, yellow and then a burnt sienna and a black.
>
> My sources of information are Wilcox, Handprint.com, Hilary Page,  
> and Daniel Smith. If you are not a book junkie as I am,  
> Handprint.com is an incredible and FREE source.
>
> I have begun the daunting task of weeding through all my gum  
> research and organizing it, so I am sure over the next year there  
> will be more of this, until someone flames the list for being too  
> gum-centric :)
> Chris
>
> Reds
> PV19R gamma quinacridone (transparent, red biased magenta.  Don’t  
> confuse with the bluer magenta PV19 beta)
> WN permanent rose
> MG quinacridone rose
> DS quinacridone rose
> DS quinacridone red
> M primary red
> M rose lake
> Schmincke ruby red
> PR112 naphthol AS-D red (semi-transparent orange red)
> MG napthol red
> PR178 perylene red (semi-transparent red leaning slightly toward  
> violet)
> DS perylene red--gorgeous bloody color
> PR179 perylene maroon (transparent, leaning toward orange or violet,  
> depending on brand)
> WN perylene maroon
> DS perylene maroon (they say semi-transparent--another gorgeous  
> blood red)
> Schmincke deep red
> PR188 naphthol AS BON arylamide (semi-opaque orange red)
> DS organic vermillion (they say semi-transparent)
> WN scarlet lake
> Da Vinci permanent red
> PR 209 quinacridone red (bright, transparent orange red)
> MG quinacridone red
> WN quinacridone red
> M tiziano red
> DS quinacridone coral--gorgeous peachy red
> Utrecht quinacridone red
> PR 254 diketo-pyrrolo pyrrole red (bright transparent red)
> DS pyrrol red (they say semi-transparent)
> WN winsor red
> M sandal red
> Rembrandt permanent red medium and deep
> Schmincke scarlet red
> Sennelier red
> PR255 diketo-pyrrolo pyrrole red, pyrrole scarlet (transparent  
> orange red)
> DS pyrrol scarlet (they say semi-transparent)
> Rembrandt permanent red medium
> Schmincke vermilion (hue)
> PR260 isoindoline scarlet (orange red leaning toward dull and opaque)
> Old Holland vermilion (hue) extra (no blue reflectance so mixes well  
> with other warm colors and with greens)
> PR264 diketo-pyrrolo pyrrole rubine (transparent red)
> DS pyrrol crimson (they say semi-transparent)
> WN winsor red deep
> Yellows
> I vacillate in my yellows between cool and warm, generally  
> preferring a bright and clear unbiased one such as PY97, PY151, and  
> PY175.  Otherwise for warm and deep I use PY110 or PY139, finding  
> them interchangeable except for PY139’s slight opacity. One pretty  
> gutsy yellow I’ve been using of late is the Rowney PY138.  All I can  
> say is...WOW.  Wear sunglasses.
> PY3 arylide yellow 10G (transparent, green bias)
> DS hansa yellow light (they say semi-transparent)
> Schmincke lemon yellow
> Sennelier lemon yellow
> Utrecht lemon yellow
> Holbein aureolin
> PO49 quinacridone gold (transparent)
> DS quinacridone gold
> PY65 arylide yellow 3RN (transparent, orange bias)
> WN Winsor yellow deep
> DS hansa yellow deep (they say semi-transparent)
> Utrecht hansa yellow deep
> Schmincke chrome yellow deep
> PY97 arylide yellow FGL (semi-transparent, green bias)
> DS hansa yellow medium
> M primary yellow
> Da Vinci arylide yellow
> PY 110 isoindolinone yellow R (neutralized orange yellow, semi- 
> transparent)
> DS permanent yellow deep (they say transparent)
> PY138 quinophthalone yellow (transparent, slight green bias)
> Rowney Artists permanent yellow
> Fragonard permanent lemon yellow
> PY139 isoindoline yellow (semi-opaque orange yellow)
> M permanent yellow deep
> PY150 nickel azomethene yellow (transparent greenish yellow)
> DS nickel azo yellow
> WN transparent yellow
> Schmincke translucent yellow
> PY151 benzimidazolone yellow H4G (semi-transparent greenish yellow)
> MG azo yellow (they say transparent)
> Schmincke aureolin modern
> PY 153 nickel dioxine yellow (semi-transparent orange yellow)
> WN new gamboge
> DS new gamboge (they call it transparent)
> Utrecht Indian yellow
> Sennelier Indian yellow
> PY154 benzimidazolone yellow H3G (transparent orange yellow)
> WN Winsor yellow
> Sennelier yellow light
> Rembrandt azo yellow light
> Schmincke pure yellow
> PY 159 zirconium praseodymium silicate
> WN Winsor lemon yellow deep
> PY 175 benzimidazolone yellow H6G (two-toned, orange in mass, green  
> in tint, mixes well)
> WN Winsor lemon
> M permanent yellow lemon
> Schmincke chrome yellow lemon
> Blues
> For tricolor, thalo blue is saturated, transparent, and beautiful.
> PB15 phthalocyanine blue ( transparent greenish blue)
> M phthalocyanine blue
> Utrecht phthalo blue
> DaVinci phthalo blue
> PB15:1 phthalocyanine blue
> Schmincke phthalo blue
> PB15:3 phthalocyanine blue
> DS phthalo blue
> MG phthalocyanine blue
> Sennelier phthalo blue
> M primary blue-cyan
> Winsor blue, green shade
> PB29 Ultramarine blue (a reddish transparent blue)
> WN French ultramarine
> MG ultramarine blue
> Holbein ultramarine light and deep
> DS ultramarine blue (they say semi-trasparent)
> M ultramarine
> PB60 indanthrone blue (a dark blue jean blue, transparent)
> DS indanthrone blue
> M faience blue
> WN indanthrene blue
> Schmincke delft blue
> Schmincke dark blue indigo
> Holbein royal blue
> Other Colors
> There are lots of other colors to use, for instance, traditional  
> choices such as iron oxide earth pigments.  I would suggest a black  
> and a brown for duotones.
> PBk9 ivory black (warm to neutral, semi-opaque to opaque--MG says  
> opaque, DS says semi-transparent!) (less likely to stain according  
> to Stuart Melvin)
> PBk6 lamp black (blueish, semi-opaque to opaque --MG says semi- 
> opaque, DS says opaque)
> PBk7 carbon black (opaque and velvety)
> M carbon black is the only one I could find that is actually carbon  
> black…
> PW6 titanium white
> PBr7 raw (yellower) and burnt  (oranger)sienna, raw (greener) and  
> burnt (browner) umber
> Raw Sienna is a clear, golden, semi-transparent yellow that is quite  
> muted and beautiful when used in tricolor.  It does not stain.
> PO62 benzimidazolone orange (semi-opaque yellow orange)
> DS permanent orange
> WN Winsor orange
> M permanent orange
> Schmincke chrome orange
> DaVinci benzimida orange
> PY43 yellow ochre (semi-opaque)
> WN yellow ochre
> DS yellow ochre
> MG yellow ochre
> Utrecht yellow ochre
>
> Christina Z. Anderson
> christinaZanderson.com
>
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