[Alt-photo] Re: gum tip

[Christina Anderson]

Loris,
Yes, I was quite surprised by this eraser tip. I have never tried it and don't know why it works! If I want to remove a gum layer it has been with the Scotch Brite pad (this kind of dark green scratchy 1/4" thin pad).

I always learn from my students. They ask me questions all the time I have no answers for and I tell them to find out for me! I used to worry that I didn't have enough time to teach them everything I wanted them to know but have since found out that left to their own devices they will make beautiful discoveries I can never imagine. The only common denominator--the ONLY one--I have found to exist with my students who do the best gum work is time. The old Nike slogan of "Just Do It." That's why I find workshops really helpful, e.g. the Photographer's Formulary. There are no distractions and one can work on gum from 9AM to 9PM all week long, while being fed. No life worries, just gum printing. I figure about 60 hours of solid work. Wouldn't it be cool if college could be organized like this???

I got a funny lesson in "just doing it" though, the other day while making a casein print. I had used some sodium carbonate in a tray of water to speed along a recalcitrant print, and decided to add some very hot water to help it even further. The whole layer, with the alkalinity and hot water, whooshed off! So I imagine that would be an even quicker trip with a gum print being that gum is much less hardy than casein. I use hot water development with casein all the time but never have used the two in combination. The good thing: I didn't waste paper, just dried it and used it again.

FofO prints coming along nicely! 17 images, 51 negatives, red and yellow layers so far. I have a time schedule of Wednesday to finish 10 so I'm quite...inspired...or perhaps a forced death march.
Chris

Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com

On May 6, 2013, at 2:29 AM, Loris Medici wrote:

> Nice tip Christina, good to know. OTOH it makes me nervous; I thought
> hardened and dried gum was quite strong. Does this work with most pigment?
> 
> We are all students at different levels. There are times that one knows too
> much; it can obstruct the way to creativity. Can't speak for all, but in my
> case, I find students are usually more creative than the instructor... ;)
> 
> Good luck with FoO prints.
> 
> Regards,
> Loris.
> 
> 
> 
> 2013/5/5 Christina Anderson <christinazanderson at gmail.com>
> 
>> Dear List,
>> 
>> Too busy a semester to post but relief is now in sight, with summer!
>> 
>> I wanted to share a student tip on gum. If you go to the URL below, there
>> is a print that Jordyn Wohler did. She shared that she was able to erase a
>> gum layer with a white eraser (like a Mars Staedtler) after it was DRY. You
>> can see from this image, she was doing so between the flowers so you can
>> see how complex that would be. Like the Jack Brubaker Scotch Brite pad tip,
>> this is now the Jordyn Wohler tip.
>> 
>> Also at the same URL is a casein print, only the second or third, done by
>> another student, Sara Kremer. I taught gum as usual this year but am now
>> introducing casein in the second week of gum (they have 4 weeks on gum,
>> which I find really gives them time to learn the process) so they can
>> choose to do one or both and compare. I mix up a batch of casein and have
>> it in the dimroom for them and they tend to think it is "just another
>> colloid" like gum, which it is and...isn't. Sara's first print of a peacock
>> in casein was also lovely.
>> 
>> http://christinaanderson.visualserver.com/Text_page.cfm?pID=1953
>> 
>> Student successes are what makes teaching so worthwhile!
>> 
>> This week I get to finally get back in the dimroom and do some Family of
>> Origin in casein. Very excited!
>> 
>> Chris
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Christina Z. Anderson
>> christinaZanderson.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Alt-photo-process-list | lists.altphotolist.org/mailman/listinfo
>> 
> _______________________________________________
> Alt-photo-process-list | lists.altphotolist.org/mailman/listinfo