The Marks of Man

GUM BICHROMATE PRINTS Historically, the gumprint is an offshoot of the old style of carbon printing. Gumprinting has survived among both technicians and artists because of the variety of possibilities in the technique and quality of the obtainable image ranging from very fine color separation to a controlled Sumi or loose painterly application. The comparative inexpensiveness of the materials, the ease in applying the colors of your choice, both generally and locally; and the ability to work into the surface of the image with other media have maintained the gum prints popularity, although it is a far more difficult process than Blue or Van Dyke printing. Materials: Any paper which will stand repeated soakings in water and has a slight tooth; coarser papers result in more break-up of the image and also tend to trap unexposed emulsion (a good grade watercolor or rag fiber etching paper - e.g., Reeves, D'Arches, Strathmore - works well). Negatives : As this is generally a co