It's all a matter of what you decide to hold constant and what you
decide to vary, it seems to me. If you hold the exposure time
constant, then you can compensate somewhat for the differences you'll
get in gum hardening with different pigment mixes by varying the
development time. And so forth. I do agree with you re process-creep.
Katharine
On Jul 16, 2006, at 2:00 PM, Judy Seigel wrote:
>
> On Thu, 13 Jul 2006, Ender100@aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> A. Yes, Gum is flexible and chewable.
>>
>
> Reading this long thread I find it not long enough -- that is, what
> is to me anyway essential in gum printing, in fact I'd be lost
> without it, hasn't been mentioned -- the EXTREME flexibility in
> development. In my opinon, though I realize some folks might accuse
> me of "platinum bashing", be my guest -- there's an infection, a
> bleeding if you will, of the mindset.
>
> In the iron processes a given set of variables probably do have
> only one optimum "development for dmax." But in gum there are
> infinite modifiers -- not just length of development, and
> temperature of the water, but additives (eg ammonia) to the water,
> and of course agitation. I don't mean spray or rubbing which do
> after all modify the image (whether for better or for worse is TBD
> [to be determined], which is to say, moot) but in gentle agitation
> -- one of my favorites, incidentally, being from Demachy, who would
> take a sponge and VERY gently squeeze so a few drops of water at a
> time land on an area to be "opened up."
>
> When doing that (and I've found an eye dropper actually more
> manageable), the DISTANCE the water drops is another very effective
> control -- from higher it works harder (but harder to aim
> precisely), from closer, more delicately. And, of course keeping
> the paper very slightly submerged in the bath during this operation
> also mildifies the effect.
>
> In fact that's one of the appeals of gum printing (an added
> benefit, hardly its main appeal) -- you don't have to be control
> freak, but can go, as it were, with the flow. Or LOOK at what's
> happening, and decide, yes, like painting. Another thing I've
> probably said before, sometimes what you GET is better than what
> you "wanted"... (Unless you're a perfect person, which some are,
> some aren't.)
>
> best,
>
> Judy
>
>
Received on 07/17/06-10:34:48 AM Z
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