Re: gum printing color combinations

Katharine et al,

Ohhh, I should qualify my statement below a bit about cadmium red so no one
takes me at face value and tosses their tube:

Even with doubling its saturation in my mix, the effect of its opacity is
not a problem in the **print** anywhere and only noticeable in the border as
a dull final layer. Thus, I can see why some people might like it just
fine, but for me there are other reds equally suitable. However, I was, in
fact, surprised that it didn't look bad in the print given all the talk
about opaque pigments not working well for gum.

I was also concerned about cadmium's supposed tendency to darken with time
or light or whatever, and its toxicity...

Back to former letter:

transparent to semi-transparent to semi-opaque to opaque...and the
manufacturer's designations are iffy...hmmmm...so where are you drawing the
line in your own practice between semitransparent and semiopaque or doesn't
it really matter?

For instance, M Graham PY110 and Maimeri PY139 are the exact color, except
for a slight opacity to PY139. Exposed, PY139 has a slight dullness in
comparison to exposed PY110, but you can still see clearly through it. It
is termed "semi-opaque". In gum practice I would call it semi-transparent...

Another thought: looking at casein prints which I assume have layers of
milkiness (Sam Wang, chime in here?) that have opacity one on top of one
another, they look mighty fine. I wonder what caseinists think?

On the way to the movie store last night I realized that I THINK that partly
sunny really means mostly cloudy and partly cloudy really means mostly
sunny.
Chris

> On Dec 20, 2005, at 10:22 AM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
>> I realized that a lot of judgments on pigment (opacity, transparency,
>> color bias, etc.) aren't as critical in gum because you dilute the
>> pigment in a gum arabic vehicle.
> On Dec 21, 2005, at 4:43 PM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
>> I did determine that cadmium red, which I don't use anyway as a general
>> rule, is not that great. Its opacity makes for a dull final layer,
>
> Like I said, it's a matter of personal preference, how much attention you
> pay to fine distinctions in transparency/opacity between pigments. But
> the transparent/opaque distinctions I make between pigments are
> distinctions that I have personally noticed and made use of in gum
> printing, so for me at least, the fact that pigments are diluted with gum
> in gum printing is already taken into account when I make distinctions of
> transparency/opacity between pigments. But like I've said a million times,
> I'm not here to impose my preferences on anyone, only to tell you what
> works for me. Paying attention to this characteristic of pigments works
> for me. Peace to All, and Season's Greetings to All,
> Katharine
>
>
>
>
Received on Thu Dec 22 10:22:47 2005