It really can't be said enough times that gum printing offers the most latitude in personal expression of a print, simple "artistic expression". The term I prefer for describing the gum printer's hand in shaping a print is the artist's "gesture". It can be said that if ten gum printers were to use the same exact negative to make a gum print, there would be ten unique gum prints to show for the effort. Even if two printers approached the printing order in the same fashion there would be very visible differences between the two finished prints. This is the hallmark of a gum print. They are truly unique prints.
This is not to say that a deranged individual could conceivably make the exercise a scientific project, metering gum amounts to the drop, adding carefully weighted pigment to the tenth of a gram, use robotic application techniques for smooth coverage, print times based on densitometric measurements of densities (if said printer even understood how that works) and so on, working towards perfect replication, as usually seen in silver gelatin printing. Same image as the last, endlessly. I would tell you that theoretically that could be argued, however, I would have my doubts that subsequent prints would be identical to the proceeding one. I would also say that such a printer is in dire need of an intervention.
Gum printing is an art form. An intuitive practice. Attempting to make it a technical exercise arrests the very value of the art. I use the word 'art' here denoting the spirit to which such printing is done. Gum printing is almost purely an expressive medium, not a mechanical one. A gum print can be said to be a 'Photographic Watercolor', and like any watercolor painting, each addition to the painting by the artist is done so through the artist's gesture. Each watercolor artist has their own signature style even though there might be overlap in the application of said style. Having spent years setting up Easy Ups at art festivals for my wife's watercolors drove this home. The primary difference between our two mediums is that I had to use a camera to arrive at the image being used for the finished work. My wife has the uncanny ability to make images appear from blank paper.
"The Swing" was printed on Arches 140# hot press paper, with a single sizing run, using a 5% solution of Knox Gelatin. I try and keep the sizing water above 110 degs for the one minute dip of the paper. I also softly work the surface of the paper to insure no air bubbles become trapped on the paper's surface. Yes, that does happen, and that leaves that spot either oversized or undersized, and that, shows up in the print image. Since I changed over from brushing on solution in silver printing to a coating rod, which by the way is well worth the change, I have found said coating rod works quite well for this exercise in air bubble eradication.
It should be noted; the sizing of the paper to be used in gum printing should be done after "pre-shrinking". The first paper preparation is to pre-shrink the paper, submerging the paper in a tray of water preferably above 120 degs, for at least thirty seconds to one minute. Some papers will begin to show anomalies such as watermarks showing through. These will disappear as the paper dries down. I see this more in Arches over Fabriano, although the Arches paper is less affected by curling and wrinkling during dry down.
Traditionally, I sized the paper (after pre-shrinking) in two applications using 2 1/2% gelatin each. There is a slight difference between two applications of 2 1/2% and 5%, but that is another printer's choice to make. This print was made using the latter technique. I have begun increasing the amount of gum solution for each layer by about 30%, for a smoother, albeit a bit thicker coating for an 8x10 print. I use a long eye dropper for measurement, noting the height to which the gum can be drawn into the tube. I draw in the gum mix more than once, with each subsequent draw bringing the gum higher into the tube, until it is near the top of the tube. Being that the dichromate solution is ideally equal to the gum solution for each coating, it can't be drawn into the tube as far, so I merely add a third draw for the dichromate to compensate, then visually inspect the clear mixing cups (measured in ml increments) for equality.
Because of how print time to float time functions, it isn't easy to speak of a print time, because that changes, depending on what part of the image that is to be affected. I will try though. For this print, I used gouache lamp black, specifically because it is opaque, for the first coat. I wanted good contrast in the image, but only through the part of the image black would be expected, zone 1 through zone 3. Above that, grays take over, or in this case colors that when added up begin to show depth of color, some being more neutral in summation. To accomplish this, the print time was just under half of what would be 'full print time' when printing time needs to reach zone 7 and 8, which in this print is 22 minutes.
The printing relationship to density range of the negative can be directly compared to the developing relationship of densities in a negative. During development of a negative there is a predictable time/density relationship to the development. The thinnest density; zone 1 develops first, followed by the next density which is twice the density of the previous one. This process continues right up to the highest density, which would be zone 8. Once those densities have been developed and subsequent ones above it, no amount of further development can alter those densities. Only the top three densities; zone 6, 7, and 8, can be altered through further or less developmental time.
Gum printing works the same way. Instead of speaking of densities of a negative, permanent hardening of the gum substrata becomes the description. Where the negative has it's thinnest density, zone 1, the gum under that area will be affected the most by the UV light, which then becomes hardened in proportion of the UV light. Therefore, the printing proceeds through the density range of the negative, from zone 1 black, all the way to the highest density of the negative, in the order of the densities in the negative. Once those areas of the image that have been hardened by the UV light, they become impervious to water, or pretty much anything else for the next 1000 years. Floating the paper, or blowing a fire hose over those areas are not going to be affected.
What this means for the printer is that you are printing to a density range of the negative. I print for the light in the image. If you suppress the light quality of the image it immediately becomes flat, and very visually undesirable. The 'light' if seen in the image tends to hang around zone 7, thus printing to zone 7, or even beyond a bit, is then controlled by floating, with the intent of floating away the zone 8 and parts of zone 7, to the point desired. Likely no amount of floating will affect the already hardened zone 6 areas by that time.
If you understand the progressive nature of negative development, understanding the printing sequence for the gum print will come more easily. There is some predictability to what a gum print will look like when it's finished, as in the color scheme. But only to a point, as each color layer shapes the final outcome, so choice matters. My interpretation of this image, as described above can be seen in the finished print, as faithfully replicated digitally as was possible. Comments can help.
This was a high key image with high contrast from sunlight; I wanted to keep the brilliance of that sunlight intact. Most of the printing was done up to and including the zone 6-8 region of the image.
Zone 1; shadow of tree and deep shadow of foliage.
Zone 7; highlights where direct sunshine on ground
Zone 7; highlight area of limbs in direct sunlight
Zone 7-8; broken portion of tree
"The Swing" 8x10 ~ Unique
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