Re: duotone cyanotype VDB

  Indeed overexposing each process works well (also: as noted in
Christopher James book, slightly unregistered exposures gives more
interesting results - especially with images incorporating a great
deal of texture).

  See an example made by one of my workshops students:
http://tinyurl.com/lk93r[1]

  It was made by extremely overexposing the first cyanotype layer
(almost no detail was visible in the dark parts of the image; zone I
1/2 - II in terms of zone system), then coating 1:1 diluted (with
distilled water) fresh Vandyke solution over it and again
overexposing...

  Thanks for the info (reading about gesso + acrylic sizing was
nice)!

  Regards,
Loris.

  ----- Message from zphoto@montana.net ---------
    Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2006 09:13:15 -0700
    From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net>
Reply-To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: duotone cyanotype VDB
      To: "Alt, List" <alt-photo-process-L@usask.ca>

> Good morning all,
> I love to post on the weekends because it seems everyone is out and

> about doing other things than posting and the airwaves get very
dull..
>
> My last assignment the students did was duotone cyanotype/vdb,
either
> one below the other.  It was a very experimental assignment, to be

> sure, because the two processes don't really like each other--the
> potassium ferricyanide in cyanotype bleaches the silver in the VDB,

> and the VDB bleaches the cyanotype or takes over so much that the
> cyanotype disappears.
>
> We found out a number of things--that's what's so nice about having

> 15 students, it's like doing 45 tests yourself--1. misregistration
> actually looks good!  2.  And one student returned the print to
acid
> of some sort (citric I think) and the cyanotype came back, which
> seems to prove the alkalinity of the VDB and fixer bleaches the
> cyanotype but doesn't remove it completely.  3.  AND several of
the
> students used a mix of gesso, acrylic matte medium and water in
equal
> parts between the layers of VDB and cyano and that worked well. 
4. 
> A layer of gelatin between is less effective.  5. All got better
> results when overexposing each process. In fact, one of my
favorites
> was a totally brown overexposed print that you could hardly see the

> image, painted over with cyanotype which immediately bleached the
> image up to visibility, and then exposed.  6.  If you don't make
sure
> to rinse well after all processes and return to an acid state the
> alkalinity of the paper, either from fixer or vdb or what have you,

> will creep in lavender.
>
> Most of the prints were of the "alternative" alternative variety,
in
> other words, loosey goosey.  I do have them scanned...and if and
when
> my website is finished (grrr) I can post them. So if I were to do
> this warm/cool thing and want a perfect print it would be best to
do
> the cyanotype/palladium I think (or palladium/gum).
>
> I would love other people's experiences on this shared here...what
> have I missed?
> Chris

Links:
------
[1] http://tinyurl.com/lk93r
Received on Sat Mar 4 11:24:57 2006