From: Christina Z. Anderson (zphoto@montana.net)
Date: 07/26/03-07:08:17 AM Z
> I'm working with a multiple neg. image (one sharp/one soft) at the moment
> and I'm interested in finding out if anyone has any in depth knowledge or
> successful results with multiple coating and exposure prior to
development.
> It would be a time saver in putting this thing together aside from the
fact
> that it might avoid some paper degradation. I'll do what I have to do but
> I'd appreciate some info first if it's out there. Being a newcomer, I'll
> apologize in advance if I make someone have to reiterate prior
> conversations. If that is the case maybe a cut and paste from folder or
> directions to the archived material will suffice.
> Thanks,
> Stuart
Stuart,
If you do a search under Berger method, I bet you'd turn up some stuff
on the alt list. It has only been within the last...5 months. There is
NOTHING in the literature on gum that I have ever read that talks about
multicoating with no development until after the final layer, so I credit
Philippe Berger with the invention. If I am wrong here, someone will chime
in. Keith, were you doing it before Berger? If so, where did you first hear
about it?
I am currently working with this exclusively. I'll tell you what my
steps are, and then the problems:
1. First layer low pigment/high dichromate/long exposure--yellow, pale
quinacridone, pinkcolor, quinacridone coral--and of the Q colors, just a
bare breath of color and the rest straight gum (thin gum) to achieve a tonal
layer like baby butt pink.
2. Second layer normal 1:1 gum/pigment: dichromate--either red or some
other warm color. Exposure is shorter than the first and longer than the
next.
3. Third layer is still 1:1, but I may switch to potassium dichromate at
the same time of exposure as the ammonium dichromate I traditionally use for
the other layers. It is a dark--blue, brown, or black.
4. Development at that time face down in water with no brushing.
Benefits--incredible time saver, no sizing needed, great way to get
students hooked into the process, and perfect registration with sharp
detail.
Problems: as each succeeding layer exposes the one below it also,
figuring out times is a bit harder. With two coats I can get a fully tonal
sharp monochrome gum and it is a piece of cake. With 3 coats I can run into
the top layer being gritty, or flaking. I brush coat, but will try it with
the roller. This should give me much thinner layers. You also probably
should err on the side of overexposure. I find this always works the best,
or else the succeeding layers slough off.
Trying to determine dilutions of each layer to produce a pleasing color
combination is hard. My goal would be to achieve with this process Sam
Wang's flesh tones he has achieved with digineg color separations. I am
doubtful it is possible, but we'll see--it's my "holy grail".
I ditto everything Keith says except the point about disturbing the
underlying layers--I do not find this to be a problem, but I am doing 8x10's
to 11x14's, and he is doing larger prints, and consequently may be taking
longer to brush than I am. He is also, if I am not mistaken, doing many
coats. I don't do, nor need to do, more than 3.
The thing is, you could do this process for the first 2 layers, for
instance, and even do the very first layer as a fully tonal no pigment layer
to size the paper. Then develop and do more layers if needs be. Save some
time there.
Probably my biggest problem is that when I was starting to experiment
with this method, I was using Livick's 6g pigment/12ml gum formula and that
is way too much pigment to include in multilayered buildups like this. I
end up with prints looking like Terry King's orange church image, or bright
green Geishas. I have had to back way off of pigment loads, but you already
have that down pat.
To give you an idea of exposure times, under UV BL's with saturated am
di I am maybe exposing a dense neg to 5-20 min 1st layer/3-6 min second/3-6
last.
I hair dry in between coats and therefore can do up a gum print in
almost as long as it takes to expose the layers--with two print frames going
at once I am coating and drying while one is exposing, and end up with two
prints in the span of, let's say, an hour.
Rives BFK, no paper size, no preshrink necessary either, staining has
not been a problem.
The nice thing about this method is if it doesn't work on a print, I am
ONLY out an hour of time and a 30 cent piece of Rives. Big deal. I am very
process driven and I find it really fun. But I have by no means perfected
this.
Chris
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