Second Gum Print

Having built the second printing frame allows me to work two gum prints simultaneously. I'm not in such a hurry as to want more than two at a time. Each print is very personal. I only do one gum print. No A/P and no other copies. Just the one image.

This print I began two days ago, and have just finished printing a second layer, the Magenta layer. This print, as the one posted yesterday began with the Gouache black base coat. What I have found is that this method sets up the image very similarly to printing gum over a black & white print, with the original b& white print showcasing the image with the gum over layers coloring the print. There are times when a different layering procedure is called for.

This image is on the same Fabriano watercolor paper, same preparations of the paper. First coat was Gouache black. Second coat was Magenta, not a deeply colored coating. I don't use measurements for the pigment amount in the gum. I just know a small dab on the end of a paintbrush tip works about right. I mix the color and see how transparent it is, looking through the clear 1 Oz mixing cups. When I have the color I want, I mix it with the potassium dichromate (13% solution) in equal amounts. For now I'm using a 1" wide artists brush, which works but is a bit slow for coating the entire area without streaking. I will be finding a 2 1/2" artist's brush to do this work in the future.

Second coat: Black then Magenta;

Again, you can see that the black image has been printed in to about Zone 5, with the highlights remaining pretty much uncolored. This is where the layering begins to take shape, each layer adding a bit more texture and depth to the image.