RE: Gum Tri-Color

Ah, this is more like it – the individual effects we get from alt
processes are the interesting thing about it. That we strive for
technical understanding is also good, but if we all printed on the same
paper using the same negs with the same pigments wouldn’t we lose some
of the excitement??? I think, but will probably be corrected, that this
whole thing started because people were getting brown blacks in gum……now
I get this effect sometimes and (to me) it isn’t a pretty look – so I
understand the wish to fine tune the process to get better blacks.
Kate
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Ferguson [mailto:tomf2468@pipeline.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 13 July 2004 3:31 a.m.
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: Gum Tri-Color
 
Bill, I think part of is being "missed" here is that most folks doing
tri-color gum are after a "look", not perfection. "Perfection" is far
easier and far quicker and far cheaper in modern manufactured paper.
I've been running a lot of paint tests (and thus a lot of step wedges).
I agree, with three colors I don't get a perfect black. My black tends
slightly blue/cyan, I rather like it! If I wanted a perfect black I
would send the file and $0.29 to Ofoto ;-)

Perfect black (or high DMax) is too highly regarded. Platinum has a much
lower DMax than Silver Gelatin. Cyanotype and gum are even worst. It
isn't perfect black that attracts most of us to alt.

Indeed, this "wanting imperfection" is much of what art is all about. We
just read Christina complaining about the objectionable "cross hatched
grain" on Aristico Cold Press. That is what I love about Aristico Cold
Press, I really enjoy paper that looks like paper (has some surface to
it). Christina likes the Hot Press, I found it too "perfect". Isn't art
fun!

On Monday, July 12, 2004, at 07:39 AM, wrleigh@att.net wrote:
It was not an order, it was a simple request (note the use of the word
"please".) However, I still stand by my previous statements that
regardless of how you compute conversions and what the K in CMYK stands
for, I still doubt that you can get a pure black from just C + M + Y.

--
Bill Leigh
wrleigh@att.net
 
Please post 2 instances of the same print, one of which was printed with
lampblack and one with some combination of your choice of cyan, magenta,
and 
yellow, which show that the color is identical. Also try scanning the
print and 
see what Photoshop says is in each of the CMYK channels.
 
Hmm, are you planning to pay me for my time to do this? If not, I don't
see that I have any obligation to obey this order. If it looks solid
black to me, that's good enough for me. 
--------------
Tom Ferguson
http://www.ferguson-photo-design.com
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