Re: What are the advantages of using Cyanotype as the first layer fortri-color gum prints? Paper Problems...

For those who are interested,

I have scanned two tonal palettes, one cyanotype and one gum thalo blue.
Both were done on the same exact paper with the same exact size (glut).
Both were done on the bumpiest paper I use--Artistico cold press paper.

I have taken the little teeny weeny targets from the side corners of the
tonal palette--the PDN system tonal palette--and cut and pasted them side by
side, cyanotype on the left, gum on the right, for a clearer side by side
comparison of sharpness between the two processes.

This visual shows a couple things: for one, gum DOES print fine detail, as
these little targets are only 1/4 inch squares. Each target gets smaller
and smaller in resolution, and by looking at the comparison, you can see
that cyanotype will print down to finer detail than gum with the same
negative, same paper, same light source, even on a bumpy paper.

Hence, the paper and negative DO influence detail but so does the process.
In fact, if you scan the tiny targets of a platinum print, you will see
detail even sharper than these two processes.

This explains why I make the statement that cyanotype **seems** to make a
sharper gum print than gum layers alone, but that statement can be
influenced, too, by the color of cyano, the contrast of cyano, as well as
its ability to print finer detail.

Now, hopefully Mark Nelson will be able to post the image, as Darryl is now
offlist and out of town...or else you guys won't even know what I am talking
about...
Chris

> Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
>> This is not to say gum does not print fine detail, yada yada yada. The
>> detail can be paper dependent--e.g. cold press vs. hot press--as well as
>> process dependent.
> Hi,
> I've always said that the question of whether gum can print fine detail
> is mainly a function of the negative and the paper (it's hard for me to
> imagine how a finely-focused large format film negative could print
> anything but very sharp detail in gum on smooth paper) but, as Mark has
> shown in a recent conversation here, the light source is also apparently
> a factor in sharpness for gum.
> Katharine
>> Hi Chris,
>> So the Cyanotype layer prints sharper than the gum layers?
>> Mark Nelson
Received on Mon Sep 19 20:34:07 2005