From: Hamish Stewart (hamish@gumphoto.fsnet.co.uk)
Date: 03/06/03-06:56:32 PM Z
On 4/3/03 19:34, "Matti Koskinen" <mjkoskin@koti.soon.fi> wrote:
> hi
>
> I'm having trouble with watercolor papers. The cheap one, that would be
> ideal for practising doesn't hold the pigments, they just get off from
> the surface. I bought two sheets of Saunders 300gsm paper and the prints
> are ok. But here one sheet costs $6 and as 99% of my prints fail, it's
> getting too expensive. What kind of paper should do the job well for
> practising? Does some sort of sizing help?
>
> Does anybody have a curve for producing digital negatives for gum print?
> I'm using Gimp, so a curve posted for cyanotype recently is the format
> I'm searching for.
>
> TIA
>
> -matti
>
>
Matti I have found it difficult to find a good reliable gum printing paper
that will handle more than 4 coats. Over the years I have used Strathmore,
bockingford, arches and saunders. Saunders was a favorite for years but my
recent batch stained considerably more than previously and I have given up
using it for a while.
Fabriano artisco has proven the most consistent and reliable and it comes
highly recommended. Two pre-shrinks and one coat of hardened gelatin brushed
on works well. I prefer a fairly heavy weight 600gsm as it seems the most
dimensionally stable (an important consideration in humid climates like
mine) and does buckle with constant soaking and re-coating.
As to digital negatives I have been quite happy working without a specific
curve, though a fairly bright and flat positive appears to work best. On
ocassion though I have used the curve for pictorico film for silver printing
(its on dan burkholders website).
Hope this helps
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Hamish Stewart - Gum Bichromate Photographer - visit
<http://www.gumphoto.fsnet.co.uk>
for gum bichromate images, technical information and links to recommended
resources on alternative photographic processes.
mailto:<hamish@gumphoto.fsnet.co.uk>
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