I've never really been able to really get all the wrinkles out of this project.

I think I was just using a crappy printer with no color curves in photoshop, so
most of them didn't really come out too well. But here's a good starting point
: Prepare a saturated solution of potassium dichromate and water (~13 grams of K
Di in 100mL of water, keep adding until no more will dissolve in the water. Be
careful with the KDi!!!) I'm not sure what my gum arabic concentrations are, I u
se a premixed bottle from the Photographer's Formulary. It'll last forever. My
watercolors are cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson and phthalo blue for YMC respec
tively. Mix about 800mg of your watercolor + 15mL (1 tablespoon) of Gum Arabic
+ 15mL KDi solution. If you're using a black watercolor, use about 200 - 400mg.
If you don't like the final print's color balance, try messing with the color
balance in photoshop and reprint the negatives.EDIT
Hi everyone, I hope this video has helped out a bit. Now that I am 7 months olde
r and wiser than I was when I made this video, I've got two big points I want to
go back on:
1. I HIGHLY recommend you do not use laser printer transparency. The toner alway
s let the UV through, resulting in the prints requiring shorter exposures / more
pigment, which then resulted in staining.
2. I would also recommend against using graphite, and instead use black watercol
or for the black layer. Using graphite as a pigment tends to make the emulsion v
ery weak and streaky.
I hope to make an updated, more in-depth tutorial video about the process in the
coming weeks.
Karl Koenig invented the Gumoil alternative process. He uses an enlarged interpo
sitive to create a photographic image. The interpositive is contact printed onto
paper hand-coated with a mixture of liquid gum arabic and potassium bichromate.
This is exposed to an ultraviolet light source, then developed in water. The re
sulting image is then coated with oil paint, allowed to "set"; the excess oil pa
int is rubbed off with paper toweling, then the image is etched in a dilute mixt
ure of water and household bleach. The result is a true photographic image with
atmospherics and painterly qualities. Watch this 28 minute movie to see how it i
s done.
The bichromate solution is 5 percent, that is, 5 gm dissolved in water to give 1
00 ml of solution. The gum arabic is as bought in the bottle. Just mix one teasp
oon of bichromate solution with 1 teaspoon of gum arabic and then add a little c
olour, say, about as much gouache or poster paint as would over your little fing
er nail.
Ciao, sto cercando di fare un po' di pratica con questa tecnica. Utilizzo una so
luzione di gomma arabica ottenuta aggiungendo 30 gr. di gomma a 100 di acqua. Do
po una settimana aggiunto qualche percento di benzoato di sodio come conservante
. Utilizzo pigmento in polvere (nero d'avorio)(1 gr per 10cc sol. gomma) Disperd
o il pigmento in sol. di gomma. Poco prima di stenderlo su carta aggiungo volume
uguale di sol. di bicromato al 10%. Nella stesura non ottengo proprio l'uniform
it, ma in alcune regioni del foglio s. Esongo sotto lucido ottenuto con stampante
laser su poliestere. Riesco ad ottenere delle immagini, ma noto quanto segue: a)
forte contrasto b) nelle mezze tinte colorazione a macchie, con esasperazione d
ella tessitura della carta, pi evidenti con carta ruvida. La collatura con farina
o amido da arrowroot non ha portato evidenti miglioramenti. Se forse potr compen
sare il forte contrasto con negativi poco contrastati, per il punto b mi sono da
to una spiegazione che vorrei sottoporti. Nella stesura della gomma le creste de
lla carta hanno uno strato di gomma pi sottile di quello nelle valli, e nelle mez
ze luci quest'ultime non riescono a reticolarsi fino al fondo, e lo strato di go

mma reticolato in superficie viene allontanato con l'acqua di sviluppo. Ti sembr

a una spiegazione corretta? E come rimediare? Forse con una soluzione di gomma p
i viscosa, o spennellando di pi, anche se questo pu portare a inomogeneit? Grazie in
anticipo per l'attenzione, Salvatore
Some standard formulas for carbon printing
March 25, 2015 in carbon transfer, materials
Some viewers of my carbon printing videos have asked me to write out some of the
formulas for the carbon printing materials and processes I demo in my videos. W
ell, here you go.
These formulas will get you started. However, keep in mind that they can, and sh
ould, be changed as you develop aesthetic preferences and want to change your ma
terials to match. For example, different pigments have varying tinting strength
and will require different concentrations. A less concentrated gelatin sizing fo
r art paper will provide a less glossy finish. To retain more or less moisture i
n the tissue, or change the pliability, the sugar can be varied. So, take these
formulas as starting points and adjust as you learn.
Note: In the formulas, the percentages of ingredients are intended for calculati
ng the weight of the ingredient as a percentage of the total volume of the solut
ion. For example, a 10% gelatin solution would require 100 grams per liter and 1
.2 percent pigment would be 12 grams. Distilled water is recommended, particular
ly if your water is alkaline. If you are going to spend hours upon hours making
prints from your tissue, it's worth using water you know will be good. It also d
issolves ingredients better.
Glop for making tissue
India ink is a good pigment to start with. It is perfectly dispersed, easy to mi
x, and does not require you to do any extra straining or filtering of the glop a
fter mixing. It produces prints with deep blacks, warm undertones, and a glossy
finish. I use Speedball because it is easier for me to buy. It can be bought off
the shelf at many art supply stores. Black Cat can be ordered from Dick Blick.
Speedball is more concentrated and seems a bit more glossy in finish. The pigmen
t percentages below are simply ones I have used in the past based on their relat
ive concentration.
10% gelatin (250 bloom or greater)
1.2% Speedball india ink or 1.6% Black Cat india ink
4% sugar
Water to make
25 ml of isopropyl alcohol mixed 50/50 with water to make 50 ml (an optional
ingredient added at the end which can help dissipate bubbles more quickly if yo
u intend to use the glop shortly after mixing)
Art paper sizing
A 7% gelatin solution is easy to coat, sets up quickly to allow you to hang the
paper to dry, and gives a reliable printing surface if the paper is thoroughly a
nd consistently coated and the gelatin is hardened. Thinner or less concentrated
sizing will provide a more matte finish but will be more prone to developing fr
illing or blisters on the print when developed.
Hardener for gelatin sized art paper
This is a topic of it's own see my blog post.
Clear
A 3% solution of sodium or potassium metabisulfite will clear the residual dichr

omate stain from the print. Soak the print for approximately 3 minutes or until
the stain clears. Wash in clean water for several minutes afterward. The clearin
g solution can be reused.