PAPER-BASED GENERAL
- Hot Pressed paper has a really smooth surface for fine and detailed work.
- For a rougher surface with a bit of a tooth, use Cold Pressed paper.
- Papers made from linen and cotton are the strongest. Paper made from wood pulp has more acid in it and becomes brown and brittle if exposed to light.
- Drawing: hairspray makes an excellent and affordable fixative. It will colour with age (we’re talking decades here, but good to know).
PRINTMAKING
- Monoprinting is a great place to start – you really just paint on a smooth(ish) surface and then press down the paper onto what you have painted.
- There are many studios which offer courses on printing and then a membership to take time to experiment – these are a great way to see what is possible.
- If you have bad spatial awareness, use a mirror to get the back-to-front feel of printing – especially useful for lettering. Think of your tool as an eraser, not a pen.
- Make sure you have a clean, dry, flat place to put the finished prints before starting.
- Pine and Poplar are good soft woods to use for woodcuts – avoid knots and look for an even grain. For beginners, try Birch ply. Cut into the wood at a bit of an angle – never straight down and remember that every little scratch will probably show up. Don’t forget sandpaper in your toolbox.
- If printing colour, print the lightest colour first.
- You can use ferric chloride instead of nitric acid. It is less toxic. It is sometimes sold by electronic specialists.
- Good website: www.nontoxicprint.com
- Remember to remove jewellery before beginning.
- Think about your edition number and stick to it. Smaller editions are more valuable. It is common for artists to keep two APs (artist’s proofs) for themselves.
- For a very crude homemade press, I have seen someone use thick sheets of laminated marine ply and a car jack.
- Get copper sheets cheaply through metal suppliers, not printmaking suppliers.
- If you don’t have access to large trays you can roll your paper and soak it in water in a drum/bucket.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Regardless what camera you choose, it is the photographer that makes the picture.
- If you are using a zoom, zoom in all the way to focus and then go back to the framing you want.
- Before buying an expensive lens, hire one and try it out.
- Try to choose prime lenses over zoom lenses – better quality.
- Lens caps, filters and shades protect your lenses. Invest in these – they cost a tenth of the price of a lens.
- When using flashes and extra lights, it’s good to remember that the larger the light source, the softer the light will be; narrow, directional light is hard and distinct – good for texture and making forms really sharp.
- To get a softer light from a flash, stick some white card behind the flash head and point your flash up around 70 degrees so that it bounces off the card. If you need even more light, set up a larger card or get someone to hold it for you.
- If you want the opposite effect and want more of a spotlight, you can make what they call a snoot – basically a funnel/tunnel for the light. Wrap aluminium foil around the flash head and adjust the size and direction of the opening to highlight the spot you want.
- If you are going to America or know anyone who is, shop here: www.bhphotovideo.com It is my favourite photography shop in the world!
SLR (SINGLE-LENS REFLEX)
Non-digital = analog. This process actually captures light, and light is the best information you can record about light. Remember the pinhole!
- Film needs to be developed.
- Black and white chemicals are cheaper and easier to find, and the film is cheaper.
- Remember that there are two types of black and white film – one you can’t develop on your own, but have to get done professionally. It has to do with the sensitivity of the film to red light – ask for the right one.
- When taking the film out of the camera in a dark room, remember to do it slowly – don’t rush when wrapping in the canister, otherwise it jumps inside and you have to pull it out and start again.
- Doing the developing yourself is actually quite easy, but keep a diary because times of developing and exposing change the image greatly. If you ever want to repeat the effect or want to change the results, you need to know these variables.
DSLR (DIGITAL SINGLE-LENS REFLEX)
Digital – this is a digital representation of light.
- Digital is becoming better and getting closer to SLR quality. Can also do video.
- The great thing about digital is you can control so much of the process.
- Photoshop is the new darkroom – you can do everything you did there and more.
- Full frame – most professional, almost reaches quality of SLR.
- When choosing a camera, the two most important things are: number of pixels and size of sensor. Bigger sensors = more sensitive to light = less noise.
- It is tempting with LED screens to hold the camera away from you, but the closer it is to your face and body the more stable the shot will be.
- Buy a good IPS monitor to edit your photos. Calibrate your monitor every 2 to 3 months. A good monitor helps you see true colour and good detail.
- HDR (High Dynamic Range) – the HD of photography, but it isn’t really as easy as in video – basically you have to take several pics and then process them together. The point of it is that it allows the camera to see more contrast – upping the f stops of a DSLR to the same number as the human eye: your eye has a dynamic range equivalent to around 14 f-stops; the average DSLR has a dynamic range equivalent to around 8 f-stops.
DIGITAL PRINTING DIY
If printing yourself, you don’t need a mega expensive printer, but do use the best quality paper and archival inks you can afford. Also make sure you use the best printer settings for what you are trying to achieve. Remember that prints change slightly as they dry so wait around half an hour before you adjust your settings.
- Dirt and oil from your hands affect the colour being absorbed into the paper, so only touch the edges.
- The best archival papers are acid-free, pH buffered, lignin-free, optical brightener-free.
- GSM is the paper weight, it stands for grams per square metre.
- To figure out which side of the paper is coated (hard to tell with matte) dampen your fingertip and touch it to the corner – the coated side will stick a little bit.
Paper qualities to think about
Colour DMax (the paper’s deepest black) Colour gamut/range Brightness (on a scale of 1-100+) GSM/weight Caliper/thickness (mm) Opacity Texture
- Glossy: more contrast and detail
- Matte: unreflective, smooth and velvety
- Satin: soft shine
- Pearl: smooth – like a pearl
- Lustre: quite glossy, but a slight tooth breaks up the shine
STORE AND CARE
- How you mount and/or frame paper is vital to its preservation: the best mount board is 100% cotton Museum Board. Conservation Board is fine if made from chemically treated wood pulp.
- Paper in a frame should have movement space in front and behind it. Never press the paper right up to the glass – remember glass is a liquid.
- Direct light, moisture and acid are the main enemies of paper.
- If storing paper works unframed, store them with a layer of acid-free tissue or glassine between each sheet. A plan chest keeps delicate paper works safe.