Re: "Split-tone" with gum

Okay, I rummaged around in the odds and ends drawer of the paper file
and found a piece of sized Fabriano Artistico Extra White, then put a
splash of PG 36 (pthalo green) into PR 101 and printed it. Same
result as on the unsized paper: dark chocolate in the shadows, milk
chocolate in the midtones, pale greyish green in the highlights, and
clear whites. So as I suspected, sizing doesn't seem to be a factor
in this split-tone effect.

Then I took another sample of PR101 and put the tiniest drop of
pthalo blue (PB 15:3) into it, just touching the end of the pthalo
stirring stick to the red paint. to see if the reason I've been
getting brown rather than dark red was that I was adding too much of
the blue. Sure enough, it printed a deep earthy red, darker than
the PR 101 by itself but definitely still red rather than brown.
Funny, I cautioned earlier not to use very much of the pthalo because
it's so intense, but even I didn't realize what a tiny amount is
necessary to darken the red, and how little it takes to push it over
into brown.

But don't take my word for any of this, try it yourself and see what
happens.
Katharine

On Jul 11, 2006, at 12:08 PM, Katharine Thayer wrote:

> David,
> Re: Sizing, the short answer is that the paper I printed these test
> prints on was not sized. I don't see any logical reason why
> sizing or lack thereof would be a factor in this effect, but I'll
> try it on sized paper later to be sure.
>
> The longer answer about sizing for me is that I started out sizing
> in the beginning, because all the books said you had to size, but
> once when I needed some prints in a hurry and didn't have any paper
> sized, I took a chance and printed tricolors on unsized paper, and
> as a result I realized that sizing was an unnecessary step for me.
> I didn't size again for a decade or more, until I started running
> into paper that didn't print well for me unsized. The paper I
> currently use, Arches bright white, is one of those papers. The
> factory sizing is inadequate, leaving tiny holes throughout the
> sizing where pigment is differentially absorbed, giving a
> speckled look to the paper. See an example on my page on pigment
> stain:
>
> http://www.pacifier.com/~kthayer/html/stain.html
>
> about halfway down the page there is an example of stain on unsized
> Rives BFK and on unsized Arches bright white.
>
> So this paper has to be sized. But I've not been able to size any
> paper for a while, due to the upheaval of moving, and I had used up
> all my sized paper. For these test prints I just grabbed something
> at random out of the odds and ends drawer and used that unsized.
> The whites are clear, so I don't think the unsizedness of the paper
> is an issue here. Holding one of the prints to the light, I see
> that it is watermarked Fabriano Artistico, and by the coarse open
> texture of the surface of the paper, I'd say it's Fabriano
> Artistico Extra-White hot press.
> Katharine
>
>
> On Jul 11, 2006, at 9:53 AM, davidhatton@totalise.co.uk wrote:
>
>
>>
>> Hi Katherine,
>>
>> Thanks for replying. What an interesting phonomun..phienum...thing
>> that happened.
>> I've justed sized more paper (I'm assuming yours is sized..? I
>> know you have
>> preffered not to size in the past. ) I'm going to try it as soon
>> as I can.
>> Thanks. We just had a major power outage over here. 13 citys on
>> the west coast
>> lost all power and my computer's power supply exploded..eeek!
>>
>> Regards,
>> David H
>>
>>
>>
>> ---- - Madasafish - Voted Best Heavy Consumer Broadband Provider
>> in the 2006 Internet Industry Awards http://www.madasafish.com/
>>
>>
>
>
Received on 07/11/06-03:09:16 PM Z