New Dimensions in Photo Processes, 4th Edition

Chapter 9    Gum Bichromate Prints

■  Materials

■  Making the Bichromate Solution

■  Making a Gum Print

Gum printing makes water-soluble pigments, such as gouache and watercolors, photographic, producing prints of subtle and wide-ranging colors on paper or fabric. Mixing gum arabic, paint, and a solution of ammonium or potassium bichromate as the light sensitizer, you can create a single or multicolored image ranging from continuous-tone to high-contrast. Gum printing also can be combined with traditional printmaking processes such as etching and drypoint, or with other photo-printmaking techniques from this book. Unlike Van Dyke, cyanotype, and palladium, gum printing creates an actual physical buildup on top of, rather than an absorption into, ...