Multiple Color Gum Printing Workshop
with Brian Taylor
Here are some suggested materials to bring:
I’ll show and explain all of the class materials the first day– it isn’t necessary to bring much to the workshop, except enlarged negatives for making prints, your favorite watercolors, and some prepared watercolor paper.
Enlarged Negatives for Contact Printing:
Bring any large negatives you have (2 1/4″, 4X5″, 8X10”, keep in mind your final print will be the same size as your negative). Please see my handout entitled, Making Enlarged Digital Negatives, which gives instructions on how to make large transparency negatives using your digital printer at home. Or make some negatives at a copy/print shop: Xerox your imagery onto a sheet of acetate (instead of paper), and ask that it be reversed or inverted (from your original positive to a negative) so that you have an enlarged, acetate negative for contact printing. If producing these large negatives isn’t possible, then bring various items to create beautiful multi-colored gum photograms in the sun.
Contact Printing Frame:
There will be contact printing frames available, but feel free to bring your own contact printing frame if you have one. {You can make your own inexpensive, excellent contact printing frame by buying ¼ inch “coffee table” thickness glass at a glass shop and then clamping it to a firm, same-sized Masonite backboard. Make sure the glass and Masonite backing are larger than the images you plan on printing, by about 1” on each side. Have the glass shop sand the sharp edges away.]
Watercolor Paper: There will be sheets of good quality paper available for purchase at the Image Flow, such as Rives BFK, but it is highly recommended that you purchase sheets of paper ahead of time and prepare them at home before the class begins. The beautiful gum printing process we’ll be exploring requires multiple exposures in precise registration, so we must remove all the shrinkage from the paper before printing. I can provide instructions on pre-shrinking and sizing paper in the Gum Printing section of my lab manual.
Assorted tubes of watercolor or gouache colors: I’ll bring several different colors of gouache and watercolors for your use, but bring any favorite colors you may have (but not oils or acrylic paints).
Bring a few of your favorite artworks to share with other students!
Course Lab Manual: I’ll send you an extensive course lab manual as a PDF that provides detailed instructions for gum printing as well as other beautiful non-silver processes, enabling you to repeat the process after the class…
I look forward to working with you soon! It’s going to be a fantastic workshop and you’ll take home lots of new artwork! Feel free to contact me anytime with questions along the way.
