there is one more thing that is confusing me on the subject of of hand tinting black and white prints. i've heard different things on what kind of paper you use to hand tint prints. do you need to use fb so the paint can be aubsorbed or can you use rc paper and have the paint sit on top.

-- Chris (C_j_C_104@yahoo.ca), September 07, 1999

Answers

Chris:

I know several people that handtint and we all seem to do it a little differently. It has been my experience that both RC and FB papers need to be sprayed with a photographic lacquer such as the brand "Sureguard" or you can see the handtinting if you view the print at an angle. I buy my lacquer at the camera store but have seen similar products at the art store. The only paper that I have used that completely absorbed the tinting was Charcoal R made by Luminos. I think the most important thing, especially if you are new to handtinting , is to use a paper with "tooth". This would include matte, semi-matte and satin finishes and finishes especially made for handtinting such as Kodak RC Art.

In regard to your previous post, I would recommend the small Marshal Pencil set rather than the oil. I think they are easier to control but there are a lot of different opinions. It may take a while to get the "feel" of either pencil or oils--practice on a few reject prints.

Joe Miller

-- Joe Miller (jmmiller@poka.com), September 07, 1999.

For along time I could not find a lab that would print my photos onto anything but rc (resin coated) papers. And as I began handtinting about eight years ago, I could not even find any books or help on the subject. So I learned from trial and error. I use(d) Marshalls oils. And I used skewers wrapped in cotton (from 100 percent cotton balls) And also toothpick done the same way. I sold those prints for about thirty dollars each back then and didn't even know what I was doing. The thing about the oils sitting on top does not even matter as long as you spray over it with a matte pray afterwards. Which is sold in photo stores. I will tell you that you only get pastel colors or bright versions of pastel colors with resin coated papers. You have to use a more textured paper if you want true primary colors. And the pencils are great too, but only come in fourteen colors which can be a real drag. there are other brands you can get though and crayons and stick s and on and on... A really cool thing if you haven't a dark room, is to have the lab print them sepia toned. Most will at least do that for you. It really adds to some of the more nostalgic photos. Have fun, I really love doing it and you can get better practice with the rc paper anyway because it's super easy to fix mistakes when you are first learning.

-- martha goldsmith (oscar@unidial.com), October 10, 1999.