lg. t3.3 A knowledge of colors and combination of colors is a great help. To some people it seems to come very easy and other people never do seem to learn. However, it is hardly necessary to go into a combination of colors to make others in these pages, as that has been taken up by other people more exten sively, and in a more comprehensive way, than is possible for me.
Figure 83 represents a colorist at work and gives a general idea as to a colorist's layout. This lay-out generally consists of about the following articles: Several sable brushes, ranging from sizes for fine lettering to the heavy body brush for large washes. A quill point lettering pen, a ruling pen and a large lettering pen of the ball point type, which will not scratch the film of the print. Several bottles, about a dozen, for concentrated colors ; an eye dropper for transferring colors from the bottles to the small dishes ; a half dozen or so of small dishes of the butter dish type, in which to mix various shades desired ; a pile of small blotters of the lintless variety and several pieces of clean cheese cloth, together with rulers, triangle, curve, a bottle of ammonia and a real sharp etching knife, which comes in extremely handy at times.
To start in to color a print, about the first thing to do is to moisten the place with saliva, applied with a small piece of the cheesecloth—absorbent cotton leaves a lint that hinders a proper application of color. You will find, in different books on coloring, all kinds of medium mentioned for this purpose— good old saliva or "spit" cuts the film and any grease on the print better than anything I have heard of. The next step is to take your brush, charged with the color, which should be applied smoothly and evenly to the part where it is wanted only and as soon as it is on a second or so, blot with a clean, dry blotter. One application only should be required, and the shade of color applied should be such as to show right over a black and white print or sepia print. Several applications of color to one spot should be avoided, as the detail in the print is soon covered up.
In blending, this will be found much easier to accomplish if but a small quantity of color is carried on the brush at one time, although a smoother job will result if the color is gradually toned down with water.
As to whether it is better to color over a sepia print or a black and white print, there are cases where a sepia print is possibly better, but for the general run of work, a great deal more speed will be. made by training oneself to color over a black and white print, keeping in mind that your resultant color should come right over a black print. While a sepia print is warmer and easier to
color over, such a print is not always available and another thing, it takes time to make sepia prints and some subjects positively will not color satisfactorily over a sepia print, while, with black and white, almost everything can be colored without difficulty, keeping in mind that a light wash is much better than a heavy wash of color.
If necessary to remove a color after it is on a print, a little ammonia, applied with a brush and then blotted with a blotter, with several repetitions, will remove most of it, but this should not be relied upon, especially in the heavier colors.
One of the prime requisites for a successful and speedy colorist is neat ness and order, as there is nothing quite so inexcusable as a sloppy set of prints—also nothing will disgust a customer more than to see a print on which the colors have run over into places where they should not be and to be presented with a print with a soiled and discolored back.
One of the big disadvantages to coloring on glossy prints, backed with muslin, has been that there was so much coloring on a print, that the moisture, in applying the colors, caused considerable cockling. A way to get around that is to set the colors after the coloring operation is applied and then squeegee them. A solution that will set the colors has been somewhat difficult of attain ment. Almost any mild acid, such as citric, acetic, tartaric, tannic, etc., will set some of the colors, but to set all the colors has been the trouble. A 5 per cent solution of phosphotungstic acid will do the trick if it is applied correctly.
The print, after it is colored and dried, is immersed in the 5 per cent solution, being sure first that the tray is absolutely clean. Just as soon as the print is limp, put it directly on to the ferrotype tin—do not slide the print in this operation—squeegee, apply your hinge, paste and muslin. The print should not be left in the acid for any length of time nor should they be washed after going into the acid.
The acid does not seem to hurt the prints to any extent so far as I have been able to ascertain, as I have had prints set in this manner exposed in bright sunlight for over a year with no apparent fading of the colors or print.
A great deal of coloring now is done on other papers beside glossy paper, such as the Azo E. Transparent oil colors can be used as well as aniline in that connection and many beautiful effects can be worked out easily, to the profit of the photographer as well as the customer.