Author Topic: Hand Tinted Photographs (Read 8718 times)

sapata · « **on:** May 10, 2010, 07:28:36 PM »

Is there anyone here into hand tinted/coloured photographs ?

Sometimes I buy old photographs and I color them using photographic coloring pencils...
It's quite fun (when you don't do your family's album of course

).

I have this very old colour kit and the pencils seems to last forever... but the oil it's finishing... if anyone knows where I can get some more it would be very helpful...

Here are some results from the weekend

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Phil Bebbington · « **Reply #1 on:** May 10, 2010, 07:48:28 PM »

Sapata, great stuff! I have never tried this, but, always love to see it. It always makes me very reflective - being the old softie that I am!

seekingfocus · « **Reply #2 on:** May 10, 2010, 08:36:59 PM »

Very Cool! I have a box of old stuff I've collected over the years not knowing what to do with... Might give this a try one of these day.

Love number 2 and 3!! Thanks for sharing...

-Jason

moominsean · « **Reply #3 on:** May 10, 2010, 09:14:30 PM »

i still have a box of pencils and oil from college, circa 1989. used to enjoy doing it.

calbisu · « **Reply #4 on:** May 10, 2010, 09:52:19 PM »

Creativity has no limits

CarlRadford · « **Reply #5 on:** May 10, 2010, 09:54:46 PM »

Great work! Try contacting Andrew Sanderson - this is his thing and I am sure he'd be able to help!

sapata · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2010, 11:43:47 PM »

Quote from: CarlRadford on May 10, 2010, 09:54:46 PM

Great work! Try contacting Andrew Sanderson - this is his thing and I am sure he'd be able to help!

Thanks for the tip Carl... I had a look at his work and it's fantastic !
I'll contact him for sure.

Quote from: moominsean on May 10, 2010, 09:14:30 PM

i still have a box of pencils and oil from college, circa 1989. used to enjoy doing it.

That's great moon... I got this one from ebay and it's from 1959.
Top right on the box says: "To Sally with love from auntie Mary and uncle Ron"

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original_ann · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2010, 11:58:58 PM »

Sapata! They are so subtley done! I've seen people do this with the pencils and end up with really deep 'jewel tones'. I'm thoroughly intrigued!!!

original_ann · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2010, 11:59:26 PM »

does it have to be a non-glossy photo?

sapata · « **Reply #9 on:** May 11, 2010, 12:22:57 AM »

Quote from: original_ann on May 10, 2010, 11:58:58 PM

Sapata! They are so subtley done! I've seen people do this with the pencils and end up with really deep 'jewel tones'. I'm thoroughly intrigued!!!

Thank you !

Quote from: original_ann on May 10, 2010, 11:59:26 PM

does it have to be a non-glossy photo?

With this kit I can only use on matt because the oil won't "stick" on a glossy surface and that makes impossible to use the pencils. You have to rub smoothly a bit of the oil on the surface, wait a few minutes then apply the pencils carefully. If you look at the picture with the lady and the two kids you'll see some pretty bad oil marks, this is because the paper absorbed the oil, maybe I put too much.

The reason it's got a smooth finished is because I "smudge" the pigments with cotton on toothpicks and cotton buddies while the oil still wet, otherwise I'd have the pencil marks on it.

For glossy surfaces there's Marshall's oils but I've never use them before...

CamerAsian · « **Reply #10 on:** May 11, 2010, 07:46:34 AM »

I dabble in hand-tinting but need a lot of practice. I use colour pencils and Marshall oils, but I believe they only work with matt paper. This one is on a sepia toned print of my stepson.

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Heather · « **Reply #11 on:** May 11, 2010, 11:57:11 AM »

GothamTomato on here does some excellent coloured B&W work. She was in the UK Black & White Photography magazine a while back. Hopefully she'll pop in and show her work soon

LT · « **Reply #12 on:** May 11, 2010, 12:40:04 PM »

as does Aline Smithson - http://www.alinesmithson.com/site.html

Info Red · « **Reply #13 on:** May 11, 2010, 02:43:10 PM »

For the past 12 years I have been working on a series of hand colored infrared photographs of Route 66, which stretches from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. I used to use Marshall Oils and Pencils, but have found that Prismacolor pencils are far superior for my needs, as well as Pebeo Photo Oils. The pencils are available in most hobby shops and art stores, but the Pebeo Oils might need to be gotten on line. I occasionally also will soak my prints in coffee or tea, if the mood strikes.

If you like you can check out my work here: http://web.mac.com/m.a.fisher/Site/My_Albums/Pages/Route_66.html.

All of this work was done using Kodak HIE Infrared Film and Ilford Matte papers in 16 x 20 size, although I have recently experimented with Epson Enhanced Matte digital prints as well. For my tastes I will always prefer the silver gelatin prints, but Kodak has discontinued my beloved HIE, so I'm having to use other stuff right now. The jury is still out on those. I did have a Nikon D100 to infrared by Lifepixel, and have gotten really good results with it, but still it's not film! I've been a film shooter and darkroom mucker for far too long, I guess. Old habits are hard to break!

Info Red

sapata · « **Reply #14 on:** May 11, 2010, 06:45:43 PM »

Quote from: CamerAsian on May 11, 2010, 07:46:34 AM

I dabble in hand-tinting but need a lot of practice. I use colour pencils and Marshall oils, but I believe they only work with matt paper. This one is on a sepia toned print of my stepson.

This is beautiful... the tones are very smooth.

Quote from: leon taylor on May 11, 2010, 12:40:04 PM

as does Aline Smithson - http://www.alinesmithson.com/site.html

Thanks for sharing this leon, her work is amazing ! I remember seeing "Arrangement in Green and Black" somewhere before... I guess in a magazine.

Quote from: Info Red on May 11, 2010, 02:43:10 PM

For the past 12 years I have been working on a series of hand colored infrared photographs of Route 66, which stretches from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. I used to use Marshall Oils and Pencils, but have found that Prismacolor pencils are far superior for my needs, as well as Pebeo Photo Oils. The pencils are available in most hobby shops and art stores, but the Pebeo Oils might need to be gotten on line. I occasionally also will soak my prints in coffee or tea, if the mood strikes.

If you like you can check out my work here: http://web.mac.com/m.a.fisher/Site/My_Albums/Pages/Route_66.html.

All of this work was done using Kodak HIE Infrared Film and Ilford Matte papers in 16 x 20 size, although I have recently experimented with Epson Enhanced Matte digital prints as well. For my tastes I will always prefer the silver gelatin prints, but Kodak has discontinued my beloved HIE, so I'm having to use other stuff right now. The jury is still out on those. I did have a Nikon D100 to infrared by Lifepixel, and have gotten really good results with it, but still it's not film! I've been a film shooter and darkroom mucker for far too long, I guess. Old habits are hard to break!

Info Red

Mark,
I remember talking to you before about had colouring prints and I have your website bookmarked since then... your work is very inspiring !

I have enough pencils as they seems to last forever ( for my needs), is the oil we apply first that will ran out at some point. I have half bottle wich should keep me busy for a little while...

Cheers !

Francois · « **Reply #15 on:** May 11, 2010, 11:29:55 PM »

I don't exactly know what type of oil they use but I think mineral oil like is found in drugstores would possibly do the same...
This oil is completely clear and pretty neutral I think (they use it for mounting negatives in glass negative carriers).
Maybe it's worth trying it on a scrap piece of paper...

Info Red · « **Reply #16 on:** May 12, 2010, 03:10:20 AM »

The oil is called "Marlene", at least the oil that the Marshall company makes. You can pick it up at FreestylePhoto.biz:
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/13167-Marshall-Marlene-4-oz.?cat_id=103

Mark

original_ann · « **Reply #17 on:** May 13, 2010, 01:25:04 AM »

Great to know, Info Red! Looks like Freestyle is out of stock. This place has it and you'll save yourself a few nickels over Freestyle: http://www.misterart.com/store/view/003/group_id/2182/Marshall-s-Marlene.htm

sapata · « **Reply #18 on:** May 13, 2010, 06:51:25 PM »

But it's said on the site that Marlene it's "perfect for removing colours" ?

What about the P.S.Solution ?
http://www.misterart.com/g7486/Marshall-s-P-M-Solution.htm

It's says "pre-treatment for papers"... This is what I do with the oil that came on the kit. Has anyone used this one before ?

original_ann · « **Reply #19 on:** May 15, 2010, 03:52:42 AM »

We need a phone number to call up the manufacturer and ask which oil to use!

original_ann · « **Reply #20 on:** May 15, 2010, 04:00:29 AM »

This link has a good explanation of the various oils and how they are used in hand-tinting. I admit that I've only skimmed for the moment, but I think this might clarify which oil you want:

http://www.gallerydir.com/art-web/COMMUNITY/data/LINK/ARTICLES/NAME/TRADITIONAL_HAND_COLORING

sapata · « **Reply #21 on:** May 15, 2010, 06:10:02 PM »

Quote from: original_ann on May 15, 2010, 04:00:29 AM

This link has a good explanation of the various oils and how they are used in hand-tinting. I admit that I've only skimmed for the moment, but I think this might clarify which oil you want:

http://www.gallerydir.com/art-web/COMMUNITY/data/LINK/ARTICLES/NAME/TRADITIONAL_HAND_COLORING

Thanks for that !
There're some good tips in there...

gothamtomato · « **Reply #22 on:** May 20, 2010, 12:50:08 AM »

Hi,

I haven't been here in a while & see that while I was away, there was a topic right up my alley!

One medium (oil), made by Marshall's is 'PM solution', which you can use to pre-treat rough surface paper before you paint (but you need to make sure that you buff it down so there's only the slightest coating left on the paper. But you can also other mediums as well.

You don't need to use photo oils (they are way over-priced). I only used them as long as I did because I did demos for Marshall's and used to get them for free. Most oil paints make some colors that are transparent. Gamblin makes a nice selection. I only use pencils for tiny details - the rest, I paint with Q-tips & cotton wads.

You can see some of my hand colored pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/gothamtomato

If you have trouble getting the hang of hand painting photos, I always suggest taking a painting class, because it is more about just learning to work with the paint.

gothamtomato · « **Reply #23 on:** May 20, 2010, 12:51:42 AM »

Quote from: sapata on May 13, 2010, 06:51:25 PM

What about the P.S.Solution ?
http://www.misterart.com/g7486/Marshall-s-P-M-Solution.htm

It's says "pre-treatment for papers"... This is what I do with the oil that came on the kit. Has anyone used this one before ?

Yes, PM Solution is for pre-treating paper.

hookstrapped · « **Reply #24 on:** May 20, 2010, 11:45:33 AM »

Nice work.

TheLearsFool · « **Reply #25 on:** May 21, 2010, 09:50:41 AM »

Hello everyone.
after reading all this I would like to experiment with this technique, but I have a doubt.
Does this technique work with the current paper types? I have not clear what kind of paper can serve me.

sapata · « **Reply #26 on:** May 21, 2010, 07:39:29 PM »

Quote from: TheLearsFool on May 21, 2010, 09:50:41 AM

Hello everyone.
after reading all this I would like to experiment with this technique, but I have a doubt.
Does this technique work with the current paper types? I have not clear what kind of paper can serve me.

Great ! it's a wonderful technique and quite fun for boring rainning days...

It should work on the fiber based papers as it's got a matt surface.
Never tried in any new paper since I've been doing only in old photographs... I guess Mark (info Red ) is the one here that can help you

gothamtomato · « **Reply #27 on:** May 21, 2010, 08:08:18 PM »

Quote from: TheLearsFool on May 21, 2010, 09:50:41 AM

Hello everyone.
after reading all this I would like to experiment with this technique, but I have a doubt.
Does this technique work with the current paper types? I have not clear what kind of paper can serve me.

You can use any paper (except glossy) - you just have to match the medium to the paper. You don't have to use oil paints. You can use watercolors, india inks, acrylics, pastels, etc (or a combination) - each works best on different papers. You just have to play and experiment with the different papers.

Oils paints though, work on fiber based paper. You need the emulsion coating to support oils. It is possible that there are inkjet papers that you can use oils with, but I haven't tried that yet.

Francois · « **Reply #28 on:** May 21, 2010, 09:35:34 PM »

I've even already seen pictures that were worked on using Pantone markers... and in the old Hollywood, all publicity pictures were "fixed" using an airbrush.

gothamtomato · « **Reply #29 on:** May 23, 2010, 03:58:10 PM »

I forgot to mention that my next hand coloring project is to hand color some Impossible Project PX100 Polaroids.

I'll be scanning them & making large prints on my Epson printer to color them. This will be a different technique for me because I usually use traditional silver gel paper in the darkroom & color with oils. (I feel very comfortable with oil paints because I was an oil painter before I was a photographer.) So now I am experimenting with new paper surfaces and other mediums.

Taming this new beast is one of my summer projects. I'm excited to work on this. I already have a lot of pictures in my head; now it's just a matter of (as always) getting them onto paper.

TheLearsFool · « **Reply #30 on:** May 24, 2010, 09:35:21 AM »

Quote from: gothamtomato on May 21, 2010, 08:08:18 PM

Quote from: TheLearsFool on May 21, 2010, 09:50:41 AM
Hello everyone.
after reading all this I would like to experiment with this technique, but I have a doubt.
Does this technique work with the current paper types? I have not clear what kind of paper can serve me.

You can use any paper (except glossy) - you just have to match the medium to the paper. You don't have to use oil paints. You can use watercolors, india inks, acrylics, pastels, etc (or a combination) - each works best on different papers. You just have to play and experiment with the different papers.

Oils paints though, work on fiber based paper. You need the emulsion coating to support oils. It is possible that there are inkjet papers that you can use oils with, but I haven't tried that yet.

Thank you very much for your information. I hope I can help you later.
Many thanks

Info Red · « **Reply #31 on:** May 24, 2010, 02:34:58 PM »

Quote from: gothamtomato on May 23, 2010, 03:58:10 PM

. This will be a different technique for me because I usually use traditional silver gel paper in the darkroom & color with oils. (I feel very comfortable with oil paints because I was an oil painter before I was a photographer.) So now I am experimenting with new paper surfaces and other mediums.

I did some experimenting with digital paper and hand coloring last summer, and if memory serves, I ended up using Epson Enhanced Matte Paper, with the #5 weight. I didn't try to use any oils on it yet but the pencils worked quite nicely. I understand the paper should allow the oils to be applied too, but I have no personal experience with them yet. I'm gearing up for another Infrared project soon. If it goes well I'll try some oils and let you know the results.

Info Red

Andrew Sanderson · « **Reply #32 on:** May 25, 2010, 10:26:18 PM »

I have been recently informed of this thread and thought I ought to write a reply.
I have been practicing hand colouring for over thirty years and have written magazine articles on the subject.
I also wrote a book on this and other techniques called; 'Hand Colouring and Alternative Darkroom Processes'.
Regards, Andrew Sanderson.

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sapata · « **Reply #33 on:** May 26, 2010, 10:37:57 PM »

Andrew,
I'd seen your work before and is trully inspiring...

This picture is like the mandarins are popping out of my screen !

CarlRadford · « **Reply #34 on:** May 28, 2010, 10:08:03 PM »

Quote from: sapata on May 26, 2010, 10:37:57 PM

Andrew,
I'd seen your work before and is trully inspiring...

This picture is like the mandarins are popping out of my screen !

It really does have a 3d quality to it!

seanmophoto · « **Reply #35 on:** June 10, 2010, 10:19:33 PM »

is this the same technique that this photographer uses? I've always wondered about it

http://www.philborges.com/tibet/tibetan-portrait.html

Andrew Sanderson · « **Reply #36 on:** June 10, 2010, 10:38:01 PM »

is this the same technique that this photographer uses? I've always wondered about it

http://www.philborges.com/tibet/tibetan-portrait.html

No, scanmophoto, that is a simple part sepia, easily achieved with brushes and a little patience.
Andrew.

sapata · « **Reply #37 on:** September 07, 2010, 01:21:31 AM »

Quote from: Francois on May 11, 2010, 11:29:55 PM

I don't exactly know what type of oil they use but I think mineral oil like is found in drugstores would possibly do the same...
This oil is completely clear and pretty neutral I think (they use it for mounting negatives in glass negative carriers).
Maybe it's worth trying it on a scrap piece of paper...

In the end i've decided to use the "Johnsons Baby Oil" and it worked! The paper got soaked a bit too much I guess and I ended up with marks all over the print, but since I had this problem before using the original oil I believe this is more a paper issue rather than the oil itself (or maybe I haven't been gentle enough when rubbing the oil on the paper)

1st picture with Johnson's baby oil

2nd and 3rd using the original oil supplied with the kit

jojonas~ · « **Reply #38 on:** September 07, 2010, 08:59:19 AM »

liking the style of the two first but the third just looks great

got some natural colors going on there~

SuziLivingstone · « **Reply #39 on:** September 07, 2010, 10:15:04 AM »

I saw these on your blog, they're fantastic. I love the old photos too.

Author Topic: Hand Tinted Photographs (Read 8718 times)

SuziLivingstone