From: lva (lva@pamho.net)
Date: 09/23/01-12:25:32 PM Z
Judy Seigel wrote:
> what you mull it for is to disperse the pigment
> particles in the gum, that is, surround *each* pigment particle with
> gum, because if several clump together it prints coarser. I myself
> couldn't get anything as smooth as tube paint with the mulling but
> maybe I gave up too soon.
When I have a coarse powder pigment, I mull it with quite an amount of
water in a mortar, then remove the water, let the whole thing dry over
night, then add the gum etc.
Pigments do get a lot finer this way, and the finer they get the more
they change in color, but I don't think I will ever manage with this
technique to get them as fine as a good tube watercolor.
Still, I am sold out to powder pigments now. I am getting a 'fire' into
the prints which I have not achieved with tube colors. Don't really know
what the reason is. Maybe it's the relative coarseness of the pigment,
or the absence of all the other stuff they put into tube paint, or just
the higher concentration.
I have used Schmincke's Burnt Umber tube paint for a while, which is
fully recommended by Michael Wilcox because it's real burnt umber
(Pbr7). But I'd have to use at least 5 ml of it to get the same pigment
concentration I am getting with 0.25 grams of Kremer's darkbrown Cyprian
Burnt Umber powder pigment.
> On the other hand, from what Lukas, Andre, & others say, it seems
> likely that dry pigment bought from, say Kremer, is not the same grind
> as in this or that tube, or even anybody's tube, or the same as
> others' dry pigment either.
Very likely.
> And on the third hand, my own personal limited experience suggests
> that pigment staining is more related to additives in the paint or
> other materials in the combo than size of the particle. We don't know
> what additives or "dispersal agents" were in Kuhn's tube paint, or how
> much coarser (if any) the powder pigments he bought were. We only know
> that he found that his mix with dry pigment stained less than his mix
> with tube paint. We also don't know if he changed another variable at
> the same time -- eg changed paper or sizing....
That's right. There are so many factors. I also suspect the quality of
the rag paper a hundred years ago was not as good as it is nowadays. If
I remember correctly, Kuehn wrote that Burnt Umber powder pigment is
useless. Well, it's one of my new favorites. I haven't had any problems
with it whatsoever.
Nevertheless, Kuehn's article on gum printing that appeared in his book
from 1923 is just fantastic. Has it ever been translated into English?
BTW, the need for plasticizer or wetting agents or any other stuff seems
totally unfounded. For a couple of days I have now used powder pigments
-- only gum, earth pigments, and pot dichromate -- and it couldn't work
better.
> Meanwhile, I've just never gotten the delicate tones in gum with dry
> pigment I get with tube paint. It's entirely possible I don't grind
> long enough... but I gotta tell ya, it seems like an eternity.
Same here. It depends on what you want to achieve. Kuehn was very keen
to get a certain 'grain' that he says is the mark of a "schmissig" gum
print. Kuehn uses that expression "schmissig" quite often. It's an old
German word, mainly used in Austria where Kuehn lived. A "schmissig"
print is a print that has immediate appeal, fire, luminance, power. The
opposite would be overworked, stale, lame. It appears that he wasn't too
concerned with the fine tones, hence his longing for grain.
Using powder pigments myself, I begin to understand what the good man
meant.
> Meanwhile, I have been using Winsor Newton Lamp Black in the tube -- a
> fair black without staining on certain papers, tho it flakes in a
> strong mix.
I have used that product quite a lot. I noticed it flaked especially
when I mixed some phthalo colors with it. The more phthalo, the more
flaking.
> I've never managed to
> use up an $8 or $10 15 ml tube in less than a year, even my 3 main
> colors.
I have the same experience. Except for Schmincke's Burnt Umber. I could
easily use 15 ml a day. The 100 grams from Kremer cost me half of what
one 15 ml Schmincke tube costs. Now *that's* a saving. The powder's at
least 300 times cheaper. And it's really schmissig on top :)
Brahma
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