Hand-painting B & W prints
Patricia Older
Hi All,
I am ready to venture into a new area with my photography - hand-painting
my B & W prints .... any suggestions as to where to buy the related
materials, such as pencils, paints, and brushes, for the best bargain?
Patty
VYJ...@Prodigy.com
Jeffrey Novick
Any good discount Art Supply house, ie., Amsterdam Art in California. You'll
find many references to Marshall Oils as being the choice for hand coloring.
But, I've found almost any decent artist oil brand sufficient and much more
inexpensive than Marshall.
Jeff
Patricia Older
Hi Jeff,
Yes, I have heard of Marshall Oils ... I will do a web search ...
Do you hand color any of your prints? If you do, what do you find the
hardest aspect of the technique?
Patty
Bruce Caines
In a previous post, Jeffrey Novick <jno...@sirius.com> was heard to
have murmured:
:Any good discount Art Supply house, ie., Amsterdam Art in California. You'll
:find many references to Marshall Oils as being the choice for hand coloring.
:But, I've found almost any decent artist oil brand sufficient and much more
:inexpensive than Marshall.
One of the main reasons Marshall's is suggested it that for a
beginner, *technique* is the hardest part of the job of hand painting
images. Marshall oils are made to be transparent so you can see the
image beneath the color. Trying to learn to mix the right consistency
of oil paint AND learn hand coloring technique may be a bit much for
many people. Trying to do both at the same time can be frustrating.
For some, once you get a feel for the technique, experimenting with
different mediums may be much easier.
Not only are the paints the right consistency to start you out, but as
a novice they include great tips to get you going. But PLEASE
experiment. I studied painting (as well as photography) and I *still*
prefer to use Marshall's when I hand color. My hand-coloring style is
more realistic than most, but that is because I didn't follow the
"rules" of hand-coloring. I've also developed a sort of comic book
style which came from problem solving for an assignment. Again, all
because I experimented.
You might also want to try watercolor which gives you a very different
look. It's not as forgiving as oil paint. Once you put down
watercolor, it's there for good!
Good luck!
Bruce Caines
===========================================
Print: Bruce Caines Photography, NYC
http://caines.home.mindspring.com
To reply by email, remove the z in my address.
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Jeffrey Novick
I became interested in hand coloring a couple of years ago and got into
it for awhile. That is how I discovered that artist oils were very
usable and cheaper than Marshall. It's been awhile since I've hand
colored but I believe Marshall Oils are mixed in a way that might be
easier for some people to use, but, with the barest experience, you can
thin oils to any consistency you like. As far as transparency goes, some
oils are inherently more transparent than others. That is something you
need to read up on.
I gave up on hand coloring. Why, it didn't satisfy me artistically. I'd
rather paint. When I want to alter a black and white image, I usually
tone them. This seems to work better for me. There is something lovely
about the tonal structure of a bxw print.
Patricia Older
Thanks Bruce for the suggestions ... I feel the hand coloring will add a
new dimension to my photography that is intimate and personal beyond the
image. I have read some good points to remember, such as starting off
with uncomlicated images, such as a portrait, and avoiding some
landscapes that would have intricate details, such as leaves.
Experimenting to find my own unique style is the only way to go ....
Do you also develop your own prints?
Patty
Patricia Older
Hi Jeff,
I have toned my b & w prints for several years now, but have always
wanted to paint, so with hand painting a photographic image, I can
satisfy two artistic passions of mine. How did you learn to hand color
your prints? I am teaching myself at this point.
Patty
Harald Finster
Hi All,
may I add a suggestion wich might be worth the efford to try it out?
Instead of using oil-colors I use "Gouache" color (sorry, i don't have
the expression in English), which can be regarded as some kind of
non-transparent water-color. Unlike oil-color it has a non-glossy
surface and you can easily control it's transparency.
The color is diluted with water (instead of oil).
Regards
Harald
Jeffrey Novick
There are also water based oil paints that will work quite well.
Grumbacher makes a line that I have used successfully.
Louie Powell
I've been hand-coloring for several years. I started with pencils and am
convinced that this is the easiest medium for the beginner.
I suggest starting with a set of Marshall's pencils combined with a bottle of
their PMS solution. PMS is a mixture of turpentine and vegetable oil, and
it's function is to prepare the paper to receive the pencil. If the print is
prepared with PMS, the turpentine disolves a bit of the pigment in the pencil
which is then combined with the vegetable oil to create a simple oil paint.
There are several good books on hand coloring, but the writeups on hand
coloring on the Photoforum FAQ page really tell you every thing you need to
know. The secret is to jump in and practice until you like what you get..
Patricia Older wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I am ready to venture into a new area with my photography - hand-painting
> my B & W prints .... any suggestions as to where to buy the related
> materials, such as pencils, paints, and brushes, for the best bargain?
>
> Patty
> VYJ...@Prodigy.com
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Louie J. Powell, APSA
Glenville, NY USA
ljp...@banet.net
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"
Patricia Older
I did get a very good book on hand-coloring, I am picking up some
Marshall pencils today, and will probably beging to explore the process
this weekend.
I think it is wonderful dimension to B&W photography.
Patty
*****************************************
To live your life in your own way ...
To reach for the goals you have set for yourself ...
To be the you that you want to be ...
That is success.
Tony Cekolin
In article <6l3ep9$ckui$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>, VYJ...@prodigy.com
says...
>
>I did get a very good book on hand-coloring, I am picking up some
>Marshall pencils today, and will probably beging to explore the process
>this weekend.
>
>I think it is wonderful dimension to B&W photography.
>
>Patty
You might want to try oil pastels while you are at it. I picked up some last
weekend and tried them with good results. They act very much like the marshall
pencils, but way way cheaper.
tony
Louie Powell
I think starting with Marshall's pencils is the smart and easy way to learn, but
having developed a little skill, there are LOTS of alternative pencils and
pencil-substitutes out there that can extend the palatte of the hand colorist.
Tony Cekolin wrote:
--
Patricia Older
Thanks Tony - I figured I would also try the oils ... my girlfriend who
use to re-touch photos gave me a box of Marshall retouching colors ...
Patty
Frank Calidonna
Patty,
Dick Blick Art Supplies (1-800-828-4548) sells an hour long videotape
called "James McKinness on Handcoloring Photographs" that is produced by
Marshall's Oils. It cost about $23. It gives a clear, detailed
demonstration of using Marshall's Oils for handcoloring photographs. I
think you would find it an excellent investment. Take care.
Frank Rome, NY
Patricia Older <VYJ...@prodigy.com> wrote in article
<6l8k26$531i$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>...
Patricia Older
Thanks Frank ...