Making a Full Color Gum Bichromate Print

[@barbatron100]

ok. I'm just blown away by your craftmanship. My prints look like dogshit compared to this, and I thought the were okay-ish 😅😂

[@olafwDE]

Outstandingly detailed print based on _lots_ of know how. Kudos, you've indeed mastered the technique. I've seen gum/sensitizer application by rolls, batting bales and so forth, but your brush method seems to be the smoothest way, at least for reproducible, evenly coated results. Thank you for the glance into your bag of tricks.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you

[@carbonprint]

Brush coating works quite well, but for repeatable consistent results, vibrant colors, and deep blacks, spray coating outside, then sensitizing afterward is the way to go. Both brush and spray coating workflows are covered in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@olafwDE]

@@carbonprint Thank you.

[@SinaFarhat]

What an amazingly impressive process!! Based on the number of resources,time and work needed this method has to be a very premium printing method!

[@carbonprint]

Thanks. Not nearly as much a carbon transfer printing, but it's definitely quite involved.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. You can tailor the process to any number of resources. It's not necessary to approach gum printing as I have. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@da_frecker_channel6375]

Beautiful! This is art yall.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you :-)

[@TheCyanideSon]

incredible! I would love to learn how to make such prints

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@dummydami]

amazing video!! can we please get more details on what you did in the exposure stage of the project? thank you

[@carbonprint]

Thanks. It's just a UV lamp. If you are wondering about exposure times, calibration, and things like that, I wrote two books. See www.thewetprint.com

[@NordicLab]

Wow, looks just incredible!

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@siomurchu]

Wow, wow and wow again, beautiful work!

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@neeleshyogi8341]

Mesmerizing work and the quality of the print is eyes opening, I have seen all the comments that if you have shared something about your process. In this way I got to know you are going to publish a book so can you tell me in which platform you are going to publish? or from where I can get the updates? If you can give me an answer so can you please tell me the exposing time in different layer? I am getting a light tint of the color in white area so how can i fix my problem? Really looking forward for your response

[@carbonprint]

It sounds like your prints have staining in the highlights, which is usually an issue of the pigment and sizing. The book will be available on my website www.thewetprint.com. Updates on my instagram www.instragram.com/thewetprint

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. That includes information on preventing staining, and figuring out exposure times. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@redsch]

Fantastic! Love the process and result!

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@peterbrittonphotography]

Wow!! Do you allow to dry between each coat and do applications to the then dry paper? Thanks!

[@carbonprint]

Yes, it needs to dry between layers.

[@SD_Alias]

Phantastic…

[@georgesdurieux563]

Magnificent, this is the first time I see such a beautiful gum. I dream of being able to do the same. I have a question if you don’t mind: The skinning is very fast and in 3 different baths it’s water in all three baths? Thank you

[@carbonprint]

Thanks. I hope to publish a book about my methods in the coming year.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. The first bath has a little bit of an alkali added to it to assist in developing. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@donjayamaha6174]

Can you use gum dichromate to make a paper negative

[@carbonprint]

It would be very difficult. I don't recommend it. Look into liquid silver emulsions.

[@alexiscuarezma]

is this essentially a dye transfer print? looks beautiful!

[@carbonprint]

No, it's a very different process. This uses pigments instead of dyes.

[@nikosmamalos]

I always thought of gum prints as a pictorialistic choice of those that wanted to embrace the inherent imperfections of the process. I was completely unware that such quality was even possible from gum prints. It is amazing!

[@carbonprint]

Thanks :-)

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@BAstudios5]

Mad skills

[@anavrin0]

Hi! I stumbled upon your video while researching gum printing, and I must say, I'm thoroughly captivated. As a complete novice in both gum printing and any classic printing techniques, I'm starting from the ground up in my learning journey. I have a quick question: Is a separate digital color negative required for color gum printing? If so, what steps should I take to create a color negative from a standard digital photo file? Would your book provide information on this as well? I hope my question doesn't sound too naive, but I'm genuinely curious and had to inquire. Thank you.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you :-) You can use any type of negative with gum printing, but if you are starting with a digital file, you will probably make either inkjet or imagesetter negatives. For BW printing, only one negative is needed, but for color, at least three will be needed for cyan, magenta, and yellow. And yes, all of that is covered in the book.

[@anavrin0]

@@carbonprint Thank you so much!

[@briankedwards]

I gather that your first clearing bath is to remove the dichromate and two other baths clear the residual pigment. Approximately how long does it take to clear the print for each layer?

[@carbonprint]

The different baths are explained in the gum printing book I will be publishing in about a month. The first bath is not for clearing.

[@briankedwards]

@@carbonprint Thanks for your reply. Best wishes.

[@lucaslongo5501]

I see you making a first layer before adding the CMYK layers, what do you use for it?

[@carbonprint]

I use a layer of burnt sienna- thewetprint.com/product/color-pastes/

[@carbonprint]

The reason for adding the iron oxide/burnt sienna layer is covered in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@lucaslongo5501]

@@carbonprint Great thanks a lot, I wish your book was more accessible for people outside EU. For a brazilian like me it ends up being way to expensive. Guess I will continue the trial and error method

[@carbonprint]

@@lucaslongo5501 It's an eBook, so it's accessible everyone. If you a referring to the price of the eBook, it's the price of one failed print, and considering its content, I think it is quite cheap.

[@lucaslongo5501]

@@carbonprint I'm sure it is accessible(pricewise) for most people, Just not my case. Anyways, Hope you keep up the amazing work. Congratulations.

[@Aisjam]

Since i make watercolour paints and starting to get into alternative printing. I got the stuff to try this and reeeally want to try this out. I want to know what sort of printer you use to make your digital negatives?

[@carbonprint]

I use imagesetter negatives thewetprint.com/imagesetter-negatives/

[@carbonprint]

It's great that you make your own watercolors. There's a whole chapter on pigments in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@macmacoytot]

amazing print!

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@JanKratochvilcom]

Amazing work really that's great, I wanna ask you just if you would like to share it what kind of printer do use to print such a big negative, I would like to try it firstly a smaller size, but I'm curious about a printer and plastic foil negative, maybe for my future work. Thank you Calvin! Best Jan

[@carbonprint]

Thanks. I use imagesetter negs made on a Kodak Avantra 44.

[@mariasauze6072]

amazing

[@annahlou]

Vraiment extraordinaire ! Bravo et merci pour la démo ! Mes gommes sont si ternes à côté... :-( Je crois que je vais me laisser tenter par vos couleurs. Quel est le premier produit dans lequel vous passez le papier, avant de le laver ? Je suis très curieuse :-D

[@carbonprint]

Merci beaucoup. Le premier bain aide au développement. Je vais vous expliquer dans un petit livre que je devrais publier cette année.

[@annahlou]

@@carbonprint Génial ! Merci. Hâte qu’il paraisse… 😇

[@carbonprint]

Merci. Si vous êtes intéressé à apprendre le processus, tout ce que j'enseignerais dans un atelier se trouve dans le nouveau livre sur l'impression à la gomme. Vous pouvez le voir ici- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@annahlou]

@@carbonprint merci, ça y est, j'ai fait l'acquisition. Je dois traduire maintenant ;-)

[@annahlou]

@@carbonprint où trouve t-on les grands rouleaux s'il vous plaît ? Je n'en ai que des petits maxi 20 cm

[@johnli6736]

Hi! Can i know what paper did you use??

[@carbonprint]

I think this print was on Arches 300g, but my favourite paper is Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag.

[@johnli6736]

@@carbonprint can i use regular 300g watercolor paper? becouse i can't fined a glossy water color paper in our country....

[@carbonprint]

@@johnli6736 Arches and HPR are not glossy. Some papers stain much more than others, they need to be treated or sized. I recommend this book- thewetprint.com/gum/

[@johnli6736]

Sir can i interview you for some brief introduction about gum oil? This for my thesis. Under standing the process of gum oil printing. We need 3 person to interview for the thesis.

[@carbonprint]

@@johnli6736 I've never made a gumoil print, so I'm probably not the best person to interview.

[@arpanmukherjee4780]

I got your Carbon book and enriched by that. here I am curious to know what are you using as a sensitizer, it seems not dichromate?

[@carbonprint]

I plan on using a Diazo sensitizer in the future, but this print was made with traditional methods.

[@silvialevenson]

@@carbonprint I use diazo for printing on glass and ceramic. In Italy is impossible to have bichromate, But I am speechless with your technique !!!!!

[@carbonprint]

Alternatives to gum and dichromate are covered in the chapter on sensitizers in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@amgphoto76]

was the first layer the burnt sienna paste you offer in your store?

[@carbonprint]

Correct. All the pigments used to make this print are the ones I sell in the store.

[@carbonprint]

The reason for adding the iron oxide/burnt sienna layer is covered in the new book on gum printing. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@aimeedanger]

What material brushes are you using? Nylon? Hake?

[@carbonprint]

Mostly synthetic, but hake brushes work as well.

[@carbonprint]

Brushes and brushing technique are covered in the new book on gum printing, but more importantly, there's a whole chapter on the emulsion and a section on emulsion rheology. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@김준형-d5e1s]

Beautiful!! What paper do you use for gum printing? and how do you size it?

[@carbonprint]

Almost any paper seems to work if prepared correctly, but each one has its own look. I use Fabriano Artisico and Arches Aquarelle, both the HP versions. I'll write a small book/PDF on the gum process early next year in which I'll describe how to prepare the paper.

[@carbonprint]

There are two chapters in the new book on gum printing that cover different methods of sizing and paper. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@isaacc7]

This looks less involved than carbon printing since you don’t have to do the transfer. One less thing to go wrong! But what are the archival properties of gum prints? I had always heard they were prone to fading. Gorgeous print! I have never seen such a detailed and color accurate gum print before.

[@carbonprint]

I used the same pigments I do for carbon, so it should be very archival. The only thing I notice with gum prints, is they are much more susceptible to scratching, much like an inkjet print, but not as bad as a cibachrome. If prints are left laying around, they start to look pretty beaten up, while carbon prints always look perfect no matter how badly I treat them.

[@carbonprint]

Thank you. If you are interested in learning the process, everything I would teach in a workshop can be found in the new book on gum printing. There's a whole chapter on pigments and lots of information about the lightfastness of pigments. You can see it here- www.thewetprint.com/gum

[@teresashinkansen9402]

Why photographers call any photosensitive mixture an "emulsion"? to my knowledge no photographic process uses an actual emulsion, they are usually solutions and suspensions.

[@SteveGrier-m9t]

It's just the name that stuck.