New Kallitype ~ Portfolio II

I am doing something I have never done before. Making a gum print, a second time. The "Jars in the Window gum I recently finished was not fully to my liking, and that was before I came to realize I had a much better digital negative prepared, and had forgotten about. Hence the second run. And, being I am in a new mode, I also decided to alter the sizing of the paper to see if I like that. Reducing the sizing of course allows the image to fall into the paper more. Being I mix my gum Arabic about twice the viscosity of store bought I can get away with a bit more. Less  sizing also means the paper doesn't get as stiff to work with, with more hard to press wrinkles. Ergo, less sizing softer paper. That's the theory.

What I can say of that at this time and six layers already applied I am liking quite a bit, as the paper is easier to work with between print layers and I don't see a noticeable difference between the last print of this same image and this one. What I do notice is more textural detail. I will confess to one more variable I've added in this print run. Quinacridone water colors. Back in the day I could afford the four tubes of student grade pigment watercolors. Now I use the highest artist's grade. There is an amazing difference between the two. These new colors won't replace all others. They are amazing for adding depth and textural detail to the image, without darkening down the image or covering over detail. What remains is the brilliance and ambient light of the scene. This opens up even more options for me. I won't be posting a shot of each layer, as the one time is for demonstration. This one is probably one or two more layers short of being finished.

What I have printed, outside the gum print, is a new Kallitype for Portfolio II. I am gold toning most of these images to keep them the traditional rich black and white image. It is one of my earliest images during the years in Eugene. I have the original silver gelatin print copy I exhibited in 1982 at the Dickens Fair that year. My first public exhibition. I am fairly happy with it as a Kallitype. For time constraints of allowing full dry down, and hence a bit of darkening of the print image, I shot this while it was still wet. The one area I will be working on is the cobweb in the middle. Perhaps after dry down it will have settled closer to a zone 7 value. But then, I'm not fully certain that would make me change it. I might also be an added value, with the eye finding it and comparing it to the blacks, the Chiaroscuro effect. Perhaps, if it was zone 7 it would be dull.

Gold toned Kallitype
"Bottle in the Window" ~ 8x10 ~ 1/5