Зарисовки: May 2010

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Утром В Саду

Early Morning in The Garden

Я решила провести эту неделю дома, ограничев до минимума разъезды по делам и посещение занятий. Ни списков дел, которых хватило бы лет на 10 отпусков, ни жизни, расписанной по минутам. Сидеть в гамаке на заднем крыльце, слушая стокатто мимолётных, но яростных дождей, а после смотреть как преломляются солнечные лучи в образовавшихся лужах и сизые с отливом вороны рассхаживают по мокрой изумрудной траве... А ещё додумать и дописать то, что в повседневной суете и перемещениях из пункта А в пункт Б, отступает на какой-то далёкий, очень второстепенный план, являясь при этом кирпичиками того основания, на котором стою...

Утром

In The Morning

В День Отъезда

Departure Day

Saturday, May 22, 2010

По Дороге В Бунн

On The Way to Boone

Портрет Нашего Времени / Portrait of Our Times

Пробуждение

Awakening

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Cyanotype Printing with Digital Negatives - III

Workshop Notes: Miscellaneous

Cyanotypes - somewhat contrasty

Van Dyke - more tonal range + can be toned (selenium toner is the most common)

Gum Bichromate - painterly look (no sharpness per say). Can be printed with 4 colors

Platinotype - very achival, very expensive, superior tonal range

Palladium - somewhat less expensive, warmer

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Sizing Paper

All paper must be sized (except for the very thin Japanese rice paper). Arches Platine is pre-sized. However, other 100% rag paper, like Arches and/or Rives BFK, can be sized with one of three methods:

1. Use Spray Starch - at least three coats in different directions (bad option health wise)

2. Use Elmer's Glue solution (1part of glue to 2 parts of warm water). Leave in a bath for 10-15 minutes (less toxic solution)

3. Use Knox gelatin (28 g to 1 quart of water). Leave it in a bath for 10 - 15 minutes. The most thorough way of sizing.

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Printing Digital Negatives ("Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing" by Dan Burkholder is The Book)

1. Desaturate Image

2. Drop it into the provide it template. Make sure "Cyanotype" is selected and visible.

3. Decide as to whether or not the brush stroke border is desirable and pick an appropriate layer

4. Send it to print. Chose the highest setting for Glossy paper is Film setting is absent

***Creating Digital Negatives***

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Maintaining the right proportion between cyanotype solution and citric acid is of importance since it helps to clear out highlights.

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Coat as much paper as you would be able to use within 2 hours

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If - when being coated - the color turns to be green or dark blue, throw the paper away. The desirable color would be pale yellowish-greenish.

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When exposing paper, aim for highlights to be darker that what you want them to be on a final print

Cyanotype Printing with Digital Negatives - II

Workshop Notes: The Process

Coating Paper

1. Place your paper on the plexiglass and tape down the top and bottom.

2. Lightly draw pencil dots at the four corners of the negative image.

3. Have four shots glasses/film containers on hand. Fill one with distilled water. The second is for cleaning the syringe later. Add about 6 to 8 dropper-fulls of cyanotype solution into the third glass. Syringe 6 ccs of this solution into the fourth glass. Add three drops of citric acid to this fourth glass. Use the syringe to mix the citric acid and solution, mixing about three times. Remember to return any remaining cyanotype solution that was not mixed with citric acid to its container.)

4. After mixing, syringe up 1.5 ccs of the cyanotype/citric acid solution. Go a little past the 1.5 cc mark and push the remainder out until it reaches the line.

5. Place your puddle pusher at the bottom 2 dots on your paper

6. Slow syringe out the chemistry following the edge of the puddle pusher.

7. Slide the puddle pusher along the paper surface to spread the chemistry out evenly. Do not put pressure on the puddle pusher, simply guide it loosely with your hand. When you reach the top 2 dots, pass them, lift the puddle pusher and place it on the other side of the line of chemistry. Make 3-4 passes with the puddle pusher, depending on how much chemistry remains on the paper and based on the paper strength.

8. Lift the puddle pusher and set it down on a folded paper towel.

9. Sop up the line of remaining chemistry on your paper with a strip of paper towel.

10. Clean the puddle pusher and syringe with distilled water.

Drying the paper

1. Dry thepaper with a hair dryer on the low setting for approximately 3 minutes or until dry.

2. Gently untape the paper.

Exposing the paper*

1. Open up a contact printing frame

2. Place your coated paper face up and place your negative on top of the paper so that it is faxing the correct way.

3. Hold the negative in place on the paper and flip it so that it is face down on the glass.

4. Put the contact frame backing on the frame and close it.

5. Take the print frame outside into the sun to expose it, making sure not to expose it to fluorescent light or daylight on your trek.

6. Place the contact printing frame face up in a sunny location for a fast exposure or in the shade for a slower exposure.

7. When the print looks blue, inspect it to look for the hightlight in the print to be darker than you want the resulting print to look.

8. Return to sinlight for more exposure or move on to processing the print.

*How to build a UV light source?

UV Light Box

Building a UV Light Source

Processing the Print

Place the print face down in a tray of running water and leave it there for 20 minutes. The print will darken as it washes

Drying

1. Gently pull the print out of the water using 2 hands on the top corners of the print.

2. Hang on the clothesline by two corners.

Cyanotype Printing with Digital Negatives - I

Workshop Notes: Supply List and Resources

Making Chemistry

Cyanotype Kit (Mike Ware formula recommended)
Distilled Water
Hot Plate or access to stovetop, with pot
Mortar and Pestle
Ventilation mask (not just paper painter's mask)
Plastic Gloves
Two brown glass bottles with droppers that hold at least 100mg (from GreenLife)
Graduates that measure 30 to 100ml
Coffee filter
Plastic Spoon

***Nothing Metal - Corrosion***

Making Negatives

Pictorico OHP Transparency Film
Archival inkjet printer
Digital image file at 300dpi or higher
Photoshop

Coating Paper

100% rag acid free paper, pre-sized or sized with glue, gelatin, etc

(acid will react with cyanotype chemicals)

Mixed cyanotype and citric acid chemistry

Puddle pusher or non metal adorned brush (a puddle pusher uses at least 3 times less chemicals than a brush)

Four film canisters or shot glasses

Syringe without needle that measures ml/cc

Plexiglass

Pencil

Paper Tape

Paper Towels

Distilled Water