From: TERRY KING, 101522,2625
TO: Risa S. Horowitz, INTERNET:babbleon@terraport.net
DATE: 23/06/96 00:38
RE: Copy of: Re: Gloy & Le Page's Glue
Risa, Hello
You said:
> Once you've started your gum, can you step-by-step us on you use of the
> gloy? papers, sizings, type of if any hardening etc? List or personal email?
> thanks"
My first reaction to your question was ' I just use Gloy where before I would
have used gum'.
But then I wondered why Judy seems to be so unhappy with it. Maybe it does not
work for single coats with long density ranges. But then I have always preferred
multicoated gums with plenty of lots of gradation and subtlety of tone and
colour, ( but not always). Maybe Gloy suits my style.
The 'pterotype' works by coating the paper first with Gloy 50/50 with saturated
dichromate ( K or NH4).The paper is then dried in the dark and then exposed
until a change of colour is observed. The paper is then washed to clear the
dichromate stain and dried. This hardened Gloy will prevent degradation of the
highlights in subsequent coats.
The other way is to use a well sized paper such as Bockingford or Fabriano 5
(Classico) and apply the first pigmented coat and expose under the negative so
that only the specular highlights are left white when the print is developed and
dried with a fan heater. A warm 3 % size is applied and quickly dried. The
exposure will be two or three times as long as one would ordinarily make, let us
say '3 x' minutes. Subsequent exposures would then reduce by a third from 'x',
the second being 'x' minutes minus one third of 'x'.. for the middle tones and
then the shadows would have an exposure of the middle tones exposure minus one
third, with a quick warm size between each using the deionized ossein from B &
S.
I mix my water-colours first on the plate and then mix in the gum. This tells me
the tone and gradation I am going to get. Then I add the dichromate..
This is the method I have been using for twenty years. I also use acrylics but
that is not relevant here.
I do not claim that these are the only methods, but they work for me.
Le Page's Glue is thicker than gum arabic 14 or 17 Baume or Gloy. It needs to
be mixed 50/50 with water. before adding it to the pigment.
It produces good gum prints but the material is softer than Gloy or gum arabic
which makes it suitable for impressionistic images.
Terry King
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