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Theresa Airey

Theresa Airey

Member, Freestyle Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals

Biography

Theresa Airey, international photographer and author of Creative Photo Printmaking, Creative Digital Printmaking, Digital Photo Art, Beginner's Guide to Digital Photo Art, Bermuda, The Quiet Years and Bermuda, Then and Now has shown her work extensively with separate one woman exhibitions in 18 of the 50 U.S. states. Theresa holds a M.F.A. in Photography and Fine Art. Abroad, she has held major shows in Spain, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Her work has been featured at the Bermuda National Gallery in the Biennial 2006 and 2008. She is also featured in numerous Photography books: most recently in Photography in the 21st Century, published by Delmar Learning, of which she also has the cover image. She is best known for her skill in restoration, infrared photography, and "crossing the boundaries" between traditional printmaking, drawing, photography, and digital art by using the computer as a tool to begin to integrate, orchestrate, and create new images.

Ask The Experts

I think a person's work style reflects their life style and as you can see from my book, mine is rather eclectic. I love surprises, adventure and experimenting. I hate doing the same thing over and over and love to experience new sights and things. I love taking risks and am willing to make mistakes. I feel you can learn a lot from making mistakes, if you have the right mind set. Not that I try to make mistakes, but they do happen and you just have to accept that as a fact of life and keep trying. So my work rather reflects that in all the different processes that I try. I think the common thread throughout my work is an ethereal and sometimes surreal theme. I guess I am also a romantic and see and love the beauty in people and in the landscape. I see beauty in things others often do not. But as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I hope this helped, if not send me your questions. Best of everything in your studies.

Dear Scott, First of all, I have never used PM solution and do not recommend it. It is basically a mix of turpentine and oil, neither of which I would recommend putting on inkjet papers. I never used it on Photographic papers either as I like to blend my colors for an airbrushed look, and if I used the PM solutions, and decided to remove a color that I didn't like, it left a telltale smudge on the top of the print which was almost impossible to cover. The best way to find out if you like PM solution and wish to use it is to make a test print and coat one side with PM and leave the other side uncoated. Then color and see if indeed you need it or want it. If your prints are too saturated or "choked-up," perhaps you are too heavy handed when applying your color. I blend out my colors with a Q-tip or my finger wrapped in a tissue. I reduce the color by gently picking some of the pigments up with the kneaded eraser. My students tell me that I "paint" with my eraser. The pastel pigment blend out very well and you do not need to apply a lot of color to cover a large area. You may be also applying too much pigment. ? I did not mention the Epson fine art papers as they were just coming out and I did not have time to work with them. However, I really like both the Epson new Fine Art Ultra smooth and the Enhanced Matte paper. With Fine Art Ultra Smooth you cannot apply water to blend, but both work well with Marshall Oil Pencils and with Conte Pastel Pencils. Hope this helps clear up some problems.

Dear Jeff: Thanks for writing and I hope this information helps. You do not need the PM solution especially with inkjet-coated papers. I never even used it on Photographic papers. It is a combination of turpentine and oil and leaves a telltale smudge on the area where you take out the color. Good luck with your class. Have fun! Theresa Epson Enhanced Matte Paper This paper has a tougher finished than the other Epson papers and you can use Marshall Oil pencils on its surface without leaving too much of a shiny surface behind. But removing the color once laid down is impossible. When you try to pull it out the Marshall Oil coloring with a kneaded eraser, the surface breaks down and lifts. Blending is the same….rub too hard and you lift the surface. So if you want intense color or full color in small areas, they work fine. With Conté pastel Pencils…. The color goes down easily and can be reduced with a kneaded eraser without breaking the surface; the color can be blended also, if a gentle hand is used. However with both of these mediums (pastel pencils and oil pencils) on inkjet-coated surfaces, the secret is not to put the color down with a heavy hand. The Pastel color will blend out, so it is a waste to put it down heavily to begin with, but with inkjet coated papers it is a disaster. When applied with a heavy hand, it will scratch and you will see the “lift ups” of the inkjet coating. My choice would be to go with the Conté pastel pencils and emphasize to apply gently, blend gently, and remove gently. I think they will get the message here…the operative word is gentle J As beginners tend to be heavy handed when first learning to color, I would advise getting a sized watercolor paper to begin with and then move into using the Epson Enhanced Matte. As watercolor papers are sized for “re-working”, their surface is tougher and harder than an inkjet surface. They can remove color easily and lay down a new color without the worry of “lifting” the surface. Both Arches’ Bright White Watercolor paper and Fabriano’s Classico 5 watercolor papers work very well in inkjet printers and give you a great print. You should buy the l40lbs, Hot Pressed Watercolor paper. The original print will be muted in color if compared to an inkjet print, but if you jack up the saturation and contrast, you will come close to the inkjet version. In any case, if they are to hand color the image, this will not matter. It is a far cheaper way to go, especially for beginners. You can buy both of these at Dick Blick or Daniel Smith for great prices. especially if you get the 25 pack of 22 x 30 sheets and cut them down yourself.

Hi Traci, I have colored the Time Zeros with the oil sticks and the plastic coating does absorb the pigments. However, in coloring the 600 Polaroid films, I use the "SpotPens." They are soft tipped brush like pens that contain Photographic retouching dyes. The small points facilitates getting color into small areas and you can coat the area more than once to get a stronger color. They absorb right into the emulsion. I really prefer these for coloring Polaroids. Most photographic stores sell these pens. Thanks for writing and good luck with the coloring.

Dear James: I am not familiar with the printer that you mentioned. I know it is not an Epson and believe that you are referring to the HP 7960 printer. However, there are two ways to paint with oils on inkjet prints. One is to print the image out on a paper substrate and then coat the print with a transparent gesso, which is relatively new on the market. One such product is made by Liquitex and called "Clear Gesso." As it is transparent, you can still see the image and paint upon it without the acids in the paints leaching through and deteriorating the paper substrate. The other way is to print onto canvas and not paper. You can buy regular gessoed canvas at an art store and print on that. The print will not be a high quality image, (not sharp) but if you are going to oil paint it, it will not be an issue. That is given you CAN run a thicker substrate such as canvas through your printer. As I said I am not familiar with this printer and do not know if it has a means of raising the print heads in order to run thicker substrates, such as canvas, through. Check your printer guide for "how to" run thicker paper through. Sometimes there will be a lever with a + and - sign upon it. You can also buy inkjet-coated canvas which will yield a very good print, but is much more expensive. My thoughts on this are "why spend the money, when you are going to paint over it?" The other problem might be the inks...as you said are water based. Are you sure the inks are dye-based? Painting with the Liquitex over dye-based prints might cause a little smearing. Be sure to let the inks dry thoroughly before coating with the Clear Gesso. Make sure you buy an inkjet coated canvas that is for dye-based inks. I would suggest if you buy canvas from the art stores (not inkjet coated canvas) that you test the surface out for yourself as far as painting on it with your oils. The canvases now come in so many surfaces that I find I do not like a lot of them, they are too rubbery or plastic-like and painting with oils are not the "feel" that I like. Good luck and let me know if any of this works out for you.

Hi Michele, Yes, when I wrote the book I was printing mainly on an Epson 2200 and the old 3000. I now have an Epson 4000, which I love and the Epson papers are great. I particularly like the Epson Fine Art Textured on which to hand color and the watercolor also works fine. The Ultra Smooth is also a good one, but the pastels are easily smeared and the final product is a more subtle look....but nice. The difference on coloring on a inkjet coated surface and w/c papers is that some of the inkjet coated surfaces are easily scratched or the coating will flake off when applying coloring and rubbing...whereas the watercolored papers will not give the better final print, but if you are going to color it, it doesn't matter and they are cheaper. I do not treat the papers at all and if anything once pasteled, the prints will last even longer. (as long as you are using good pastels, which Conté pencils are) I do however, spray the final finished prints after using pastels with Krylon's Workable Fixatif and then Krylon's Crystal Clear. I do live in Baltimore Maryland and give one day workshops in my home studio, when I am in town. I travel a great deal...have fun and enjoy.

Donnie, Using oil paint on a regular inkjet paper is not a good idea even if you could get it to work. The problem is that the acids in the oil paint will eventually leach through the coating and deteriorate the paper substrate. That is the reason artist have always gessoed their "canvas" (wither it be paper, canvas, linen, etc.) to create a barrier between the acids in the oil paint and the substrate. You did not say which printer you are using, so I do not know if you are using dye-based inks or pigmented inks. I would suggest that you buy canvas and oil paint on that. You can buy expensive inkjet coated canvas that will give you great prints with full information, or you can go to the art store and buy regular gessoed canvas and run that through your printer. It will give you less printed information, but a great "sketch" on which you can then paint. If this doesn't answer your question, perhaps Jill Enfield will have an idea, as she uses Marshall oil paints more than I do and perhaps could suggest a surface upon which for you to work. Thanks for your question and good luck with your painting.

Well, if you print your images out onto Fredrix canvas, you could use your oils. I have an Epson 4000 and for hand coloring I use Epson Fine Art Texture paper and I also use a lot of plain watercolor paper for coloring upon, such as Arches' HP and CP papers and Fabriano's Classico 5 watercolor paper. Mostly you need a textured paper. I don't use oils on paper of course, because the acids in the oil paint would deteriorate the fibers in the paper, if it was not coated with a gesso or some sort of barrier. I usually color with pastel pencils and soft pastels. When I wish to make an oil painting, I print out on plain gessoed canvas and then oil paint over the print...using the inkjet print as a sketch. The problem with photo copy prints is that the paper is "trash" and the inks are not lightfast. The won't last very long. I would suggest getting a inkjet printer. If you wish to make large prints, the Epson 4000 is a gem and the price is reasonable --around $1700. Good luck with your projects.

Hi Cindy, PM solution is a mixture of Linseed oil and Turpentine used for oil painting. It can be used to mix in with your paints and to prime your paper. You can coat the glossy stock with a light coat of PM solution and use your Marshall oil paints, but if you need it take out some color or it will leave a "tell-tale" smudge in that area. Just apply a very very light coat of it on the paper. Unfortunately that is your only way to get color on glossy stock. You could also try Marshall's pre-coat spray before coloring instead of the PM solution. I am assuming you are using Photographic glossy papers and I am assuming you wish to color with oils...... In the future if you wish to hand color, print on matte papers or a textured paper, it makes coloring much easier and much more effective. You can use pencils, pastels, or oils on a textured paper stock and the color will stay on and not smear. Good luck with your coloring.

Dear Lee, Thank you for your interest and I hope you are enjoying the book. This coming year for me is a year for me to take some workshops and do some of my own work, so I am backing off teaching and writing. I do have a great workshop planned for April 2006 in Hawaii at the Hui Hoolana, with Dewitt Jones and Rikki Cooke (National Geographic Photographer). It is a wonderful workshop that is filled every year, many returns...If you are interested here is the information:
Hui Hoolana (808) 567-6430 or email: hui@aloha.net PO Box 280, Kualapuu, HI, 96757 Please look at our website: http://www.huiho.org I do workshops in my studio in Maryland and there are hotels near by if you wish to do a two or three day workshop. I do not know where you are located. My fee is $500 a day and I usually teach two people for each workshop....$250 a piece. Thank you very much for your interest and happy printmaking.

Cindy, Thanks for the feedback on the books. As far as printers go.... I would recommend Epsons... they are realiable and have always been ahead of the game. I use an old 4000 and am looking to get a new one myself. I like the 3800 and the 4800. Both print on l7 paper. You did not give me a dollar figure to go on...so I would advise going onto www.inkjetart.com and checking out the printers there. I like using roll paper as it saves you big $$$ in the long run, but I would look for one that will also print on 8.5 x 11 as well. But for a large reproduction job, the roll is great. Check it out carefully and call and speak to someone at inkjetart.com, they are very helpful. Also. check with Freestyle and see what bargains they have. It is always better to SEE the printer and talk one on one to someone. Happy printmaking.

Well, as far as the oils are concerned, you could buy inkjet coated canvas or just print out on artist gessoed canvas and color. The print will not be as detailed and sharp on regular canvas, but as you intend to oil paint it, it will not matter and you will save some money.
As far as papers: Epson's Fine Art Smooth will take the pencils very well... but I never use the PM solution to blend, I just use a tissue and my finger to blend it. For the pencils you must a matt or smooth surface as they will not work with the textured papers. Have you tried coloring with Contè Pastel Pencils? They work great with the textured papers. I would suggest going to the www.inkjetart.com site and ordering some sample packs of various papers to see which works with the method and the coloring mediums that you use for coloring.
Have fun.

Dear Todd, No you cannot use pencils on glossy or luster paper stock. The pencils will leave indentations on the surface and the coloring will not stick. Even with a pre-coat, it doesn't really work well and if you remove some of the color, then you have a telltale ring around the spot. Not good. I am assuming that you are speaking of the set of Conté Pastel Pencils which come in 48 colors....yes, there are 48 different colors, some of which are variations of a color such as yellow...greenish yellow, pale yellow, dark yellow, etc. Blue...green blue, sky blue, pale blue, Lapis blue etc..........

Dear Bob, Your technique sounds interesting ... as I have not tried this I am not sure of the answer. Neither the acrylic paint nor the gel medium by itself will deteriorate the inkjet print. I do not know how thick the gel medium layer is.....if it is very thick it will probably separate from the print over time...or crack. I would keep the medium as thin as possible if you use it. The acrylic paint diluted in water will adhere to the paper surface of an inkjet stock very well. If you have a special effect with this technique, you may consider using as little as you have to of the medium and continue as you did on the RC....just thinner and fewer layers. As the inkjet papers do not have the rigidity of an RC paper... choose the most sturdy inkjet stock to work on ....Such as Hahnemuehle's Photo Rag, Moeb's Entrada (has a texture to it) or Epson's Fine Art Texture paper....paper that has a tooth as well as thickness. This will help eliminate cracking from the print bending or being poorly handled after the painting is finished. Hope this helps. Happy holidays and happy painting....

Dear Sandy, You did not mention which printer you are working with.....I also need to know if you are using archival inks or not. If you are using Epson's printers with archival inks, such as the ultrachromes.... you should be using one of their papers. I would buy the "sample" packs and try some out. The smoother papers will give you more details in the prints, the textured papers will be easy to color upon...etc. The website www.inkjetart.com carries all the papers and has sample packs. Check out Freestyle for any samplers that they may carry also. Find one that appeals to you and stick with it for a while...learn all about it and then start using others as you need or want them. My last book "Creative Digital Printmaking" published by Amphoto...(Freestyle carries it) has a good section in it about papers and inks, I think you should read that as it is a vast and complex issue. In any case, happy printmaking.

Ian, There are many inkjet coated canvas that you can directly print upon. You can also print on regular gesso-ed canvas, but the result is not as sharp as the inkjet coated stock. However, if you intend to oil paint upon the print, it won't matter if it is not the best rendering of the image...you would be using it as a sketch to make a painting upon. There are also commercial labs that take your image and print it upon a piece of large canvas, as the commercial portrait photophers use. I am not a commercial photographer and cannot help you in that department, but if you check a few labs in your town, I am sure they can lead you in the right direction. Good luck with your project.

Dear Janet, I use textured papers on which to hand color such as Epson's Fine Art Textured or Moab Entrada...both take Pastel Pencils & Pastels beautifully. The best part about using pastel is that it is very easily erased with a Kneaded Eraser...sold at all art stores. They just pick the color out of the surface without any smudging or damaging the surface. Don't use any pre coat, etc. I do however, spray my prints when finished with Krylon's Workable Fixatif and then again with Krylon's Crystal Clear. My new book Digital Photo Art has a good chapter on Hand coloring on Inkjet prints. Good Luck and happy coloring. P.S. I can't color on the Luster paper either.

Dear Ronnie: Conte pastel pencils are pigments bonded with gypsum encased in a pencil form instead of a stick or soft chalk form. They blend beautifully and can be erased with a kneaded eraser easily, leaving no tell tale smudge or mark. They blend on textured papers very well, as the "chalk" goes into the grooves without leaving behind a pencil mark. Primacolor pencils are pigments bonded in a wax base encased in a pencil form. They can blend somewhat on smooth paper, but with a textured paper, they will leave the "pencil" mark behind. They are difficult to blend, but great for line work or a dash of pure color. They also leave a shiny surface where the color is applied. The spray you use with pastel pencils is first a Workable Fixatif to "set the colors" and then a final fix of either crystal clear or glossy, depends on the "look" you wish to achieve. The sprays will intensify or saturate the colors, however, knowing this you can color accordingly. My new book, "Digital Photo Art" has a very good artist materials chapter in the front and covers almost everything a photographer needs to know about art materials. Sort of a Reader's Digest on art materials for Photographers. Hope this helped. Happy coloring.

Cary, With silver gelatin photographic prints, the gelatin (in which the light sensitive materials are contained) prevent the acids in the oils from reaching the paper substrate. With the inkjet coated papers, the "clay" coated surface of the substrate is not thick enough or strong enough to prevent the acids from reaching the substrate. If you wish to test this.....put a drop of oil (any oil even olive oil, etc.) on the surface of the inkjet coated paper, and wait 12 hours. If you see the oil mark on the back of the inkjet coated paper, you will know that the oil has penetrated the coating. This will readily show you that you CANNOT safely use the oil paint on that particular paper. There is no spray or coating that you can apply to the oil painted paper that will prevent this as it is a below the surface problem (acids penetrating the coating and attaching to the paper fibers) not a surface problem. Almost any paper can be used with oil paints, if you coat it after you print on it with Liquitex Clear Gesso. It is up to you as to your preference of paper surfaces. I would suggest that you try a textured paper such as "Epson's Fine Art Texture" to begin with. It has a nice textured surface that looks a bit like canvas...not as textured as canvas. As I stated before, you have to try the gesso out and see if you like the "feel" of painting on it and of course, the final look of the hand painted print. Good Luck,

Dear David, I do not use a Canon printer and do not know about their inks, but I suspect it does not have archival (pigmented) inks. But the problem you described is two fold... One is the inks themselves. If you are using a printer that has OEM inks, which are the standard ink set that most non-professional printers come with and are NOT archival... they are very easily removed and are not water resistant at all....thus water will "wipe away" the ink from the paper. These inks will also fade very quickly especially if hung in a sunny room. Second is the paper itself. Some papers are more susceptible to water lifting the inks, others are not. On most of the glossy stock the inks do not go deep into the coating and some of the less expensive papers the inks really just sit on top of the paper making them very very fragile....whereas with the semi- matte, matte, and textured papers the inks sink into the coating which is deeper into the paper substrate and are not as easily lifted. This is the reason that professionals use archival papers and printers with archival ink sets. The inks are more stable and in most cases are completely water resistant. I use Epson's printers and inks and have been very satisfied with the results, especially with the light fastness of the inks.... non-fading factor. There are several sprays that do help with fading, scratching and pollutants in the air, such as smoke etc... but will not make your paper completely water proof... Examples are: Premier Inkjet spray and Krylon's Crystal Clear. The only real safety in your case, is to get your print under glass as soon as possible and do not hang it in the direct sunlight. Later, when you are more serious about your printing, I suggest that you invest in an more professional printer that uses archival inks and in a higher quality of paper. Hope this helps and happy printing!

Dear Cathy: Thank you so much for your compliments. :) Unfortunately, during the printing of the book, Hahnemuhle stopped bringing that paper over because it was not selling. You can get a similar uncoated Japanese paper and coat it with InkAid for the same look....just more trouble. There is no other paper out there like it that is already inkjet coated..... E-mail Hahnemuhle and ask that they start importing it again. Sad, I loved it. If you liked doing the Polaroid processes, you should get my new book...Beginner's Guide to Digital Art and check out the pigment ink transfer technique.... Just print and transfer with water...no trouble and always works. There are some really interesting techniques for advanced photographers as well as beginners. Freestyle carries the book. Thanks again.

Sorry Robert.....

There is not anything you can do here. I would suggest you start printing with Pigmented inks as they are more permanent. However, even with pigmented inks and spraying them with a good protective spray such as "Premier" Art Print Shield...(made for inkjet prints and sold by photographic stores and on the web at Inkjetart.com) you should ALWAYS hang the print under glass as this will help with preventing deterioration from pollutants found in the air.... such as smoke, various household sprays and the sunlight.
Always suggest that your clients do not hang their prints in the direct sunlight. Hope this helps.

Dear Ethelyn: Thanks for writing and I hope this information helps. You do not need the PM solution especially with inkjet-coated papers. I never even used it on Photographic papers. It is a combination of turpentine and oil and leaves a telltale smudge on the area where you take out the color. I also do not use the Marshall pre sprays as I use a textured paper such as Arches' W/C papers or one of the following papers to color upon. You can buy regular canvas at the art stores and print upon that and then paint with oils. Or buy the inkjet-coated canvas, which costs more but will give you a more Photographic look with good details. Depends on how much you are going to paint. For tinting, or adding just a little color, the inkjet-coated canvas will probably work the best. Or you can print on paper and use another medium to color such as pastel pencils, w/c pencils, oil pencils etc. Here are a few papers that you should try and see how you like them. Epson Enhanced Matte Paper This paper has a tougher finished than the other Epson papers and you can use Marshall Oil pencils on its surface without leaving too much of a shiny surface behind. But removing the color once laid down is impossible. When you try to pull it out the Marshall Oil coloring with a kneaded eraser, the surface breaks down and lifts. Blending is the same....rub too hard and you lift the surface. So if you want intense color or full color in small areas, they work fine. Moab's Entrada: Matte Paper Epson's Fine Art Textured Paper Crane's Max....great heavy paper, just about impossible to rub off the inkjet coating...no flaking at all. With Conté pastel Pencils.... The color goes down easily and can be reduced with a kneaded eraser without breaking the surface; the color can be blended also, if a gentle hand is used. However with both of these mediums (pastel pencils and oil pencils) on inkjet-coated surfaces, the secret is not to put the color down with a heavy hand. The Pastel color will blend out, so it is a waste to put it down heavily to begin with, but with inkjet coated papers it is a disaster. When applied with a heavy hand, it will scratch and you will see the "lift ups" of the inkjet coating. My choice would be to go with the Conté pastel pencils and emphasize to apply gently, blend gently, and remove gently. I think they will get the message here... the operative word is gentle. As beginners tend to be heavy handed when first learning to color, I would advise getting a sized watercolor paper to begin with and then move into using the Epson Enhanced Matte. As watercolor papers are sized for "re-working", their surface is tougher and harder than an inkjet surface. They can remove color easily and lay down a new color without the worry of "lifting" the surface. Both Arches' Bright White Watercolor paper and Fabriano's Classico 5 watercolor papers work very well in inkjet printers and give you a great print. You should buy the l40lbs, Hot Pressed Watercolor paper. The original print will be muted in color if compared to an inkjet print, but if you jack up the saturation and contrast, you will come close to the inkjet version. In any case, if they are to hand color the image, this will not matter. It is a far cheaper way to go, especially for beginners. You can buy both of these at Dick Blick or Daniel Smith for great prices. Especially if you get the 25 pack of 22 x 30 sheets and cut them down yourself.

Hello Muriel: Well, I teach hand coloring with pastel Pencils (Conte) because you can easily lift the color off the paper with a kneaded eraser. That makes learning a snap...no fear of laying on a color you hate and are stuck with. I would suggest Conte Pastel Pencils and either of the following papers: Epson's fine art Textured Moeb's Entrada Crane's MAX (expensive but worth it as it just DOES NOT flake. As far as my workshops...I travel a good bit and live part the time in another country. I do however teach at the Hui every April (on the island of Molokai, Hawaii) with Dewitt Jones and Rikki Cooke. Their web site is: www.huiho.org I think this year is April 28th...I am out of the country and do not have the dates with me. I also give private workshops whilst I am in Maryland at my home studio. I will be there in January and February 2008. If you are interested e mail me at Aireyt@aol.com I have hints on handcoloring in my Digital Photo Art book, published by Lark. Hope this helps and good luck on your projects.

Dear Monica: You should not use oil paint on paper, as the acids in the paint will eventually break down the paper fibers, that is the reason for centuries artists have gesso-ed their canvas, linen or paper for painting with oils. The gesso sets up a barrier to protect the paper fibers. You can buy regular gesso-ed canvas at the art stores and print upon that and then paint with oils. Or buy the inkjet-coated canvas, which costs more but will give you a more Photographic look with good details. Depends on how much you are going to paint. For tinting, or adding just a little color, the inkjet-coated canvas will probably work the best. Or you can print on paper and use another medium to color such as pastel pencils, w/c pencils, oil pencils etc. I have a lot of hand coloring information in my book, "Digital Photo Art", published by Lark Books, and good information on Artist Materials as well. Good luck! PS....Hand coloring is very addicting :)

Dear Don: The "Beginner's Guide To Digital Photo Art" is good for beginners but it also covers a lot of interesting things for the intermediate..... such as Pigment Ink Transfers. The Digital Photo Art book is more for exploring other procedures and techniques. I would get both as they are interconnecting in ideas and techniques. Thanks for checking in and I hope you enjoy as well as learn a lot from the books.

Dear Joey: I am listing my favorite inkjet coated papers for hand coloring below. I would also suggest trying out some non inkjet coated papers to color upon. My two last books, "Digital Photo Art" and "Beginner's guide to Digital Photo Art" have lots of information on artist materials and hand coloring. Both are published by Lark Books.
Epson Enhanced Matte Paper This paper has a tougher finished than the other Epson papers and you can use Marshall Oil pencils on its surface without leaving too much of a shiny surface behind. But removing the color once laid down is impossible. When you try to pull it out the Marshall Oil coloring with a kneaded eraser, the surface breaks down and lifts. Blending is the same....rub too hard and you lift the surface. So if you want intense color or full color in small areas, they work fine. Moab's Entrada: Matte Paper Epson's Fine Art Textured Paper good texture for coloring with pastel pencils Crane's Max....great heavy paper, just about impossible to rub off the inkjet coating...no flaking at all. With Conté pastel Pencils.... The color goes down easily and can be reduced with a kneaded eraser without breaking the surface; the color can be blended also, if a gentle hand is used. However with both of these mediums (pastel pencils and oil pencils) on inkjet-coated surfaces, the secret is not to put the color down with a heavy hand. The Pastel color will blend out or spread, so it is a waste to put it down heavily to begin with, but with inkjet coated papers it is a disaster. When applied with a heavy hand, it will scratch and you will see the "lift ups" of the inkjet coating. My choice would be to go with the Conté pastel pencils and emphasize to apply gently, blend gently, and remove gently...the operative word is gentle As beginners tend to be heavy handed when first learning to color, I would advise getting a sized watercolor paper (non inkjet coated paper) to begin with and then move into using the Epson Enhanced Matte. As watercolor papers are sized for "re-working", their surface is tougher and harder than an inkjet surface. They can remove color easily and lay down a new color without the worry of "lifting" the surface. Both Arches' Bright White Watercolor paper and Fabriano's Classico 5 watercolor papers work very well in inkjet printers and give you a great print. You should buy the l40lbs, Hot Pressed Watercolor paper. The original print will be muted in color if compared to an inkjet print, but if you jack up the saturation and contrast, you will come close to the inkjet version. In any case, if they are to hand color the image, this will not matter. It is a far cheaper way to go, especially for beginners. You can buy both of these at Dick Blick or Daniel Smith for great prices. Especially if you get the 25 pack of 22 x 30 sheets and cut them down yourself.
Good Luck

Dear Robin, Since you like to use Primacolors, you need a matte smooth paper, not a rough or textured paper. I would suggest that you try Crane's Max. It is a warm based white....virtually flake proof even if you rub it very hard whilst blending colors. It is expensive but worth it. The other is a very white based paper made by Moab called Entrada's. Bright white... I like the 300 lbs. one...But you have to be cautious when blending... It is not as flake resistant as the Crane's Max is. Happy coloring.

Dear Terry, I do not do any silk screening but have a really easier and quick transfer technique using glossy inkjet paper and water. The whole process is detailed in my last book, Beginner's Guide to Digital Art, published by Lark Books. Don't let the title throw you off... it is really geared for beginner to intermediate levels and has quite a few really good techniques for advanced digital artists; such as the inkjet transfers. I do use gum arabic for other techniques, but not for transfers. The one I just mentioned is archival and safe to use. Thanks for writing and good luck.

Dear Margaret: As it says in the book... not all glossy stock works. In this case the cheaper the better. You are using glossy papers that are "too good". The only glossy papers that I have found that work are: International's paper: "JetPrint" soft gloss or Office Depot's Premium High Gloss. The papers that you are using are absorbing too much of the ink and not releasing it. On the less expensive stock, the inks sit on the top of the paper and transfer beautifully. Also, using a cold press paper which is more textured, less details are transferred. Using a hot press paper will give you full detail because it is smooth. So back to the drawing board for you my dear and go out and get the papers that I have recommended and that I know will work.

Dear Andrew: I am very honored that you chose me to mimic for your school project! Yes, I do a lot of hand coloring with Pastel Pencils and enjoy adding life to the black and white photographs. Mainly I color b/w Infrared photographs. I love Infrared photography. IR captures a light wave that we as humans cannot see, so things appear very different... more magical, romantic and sometimes very sur-real. By adding color, I can choose where to put the color and how much... I can also choose the mood of the photograph by coloring with certain colors.... more blues and dark colors will give it a somber or serious mood, whereas yellows and lighter colors will add a happy mood to the image. I like being in control of that as I can show people how I felt about the subject and not just what I saw. ... I call that Photographing with the Minds Eye. I meet Ansel Adams and Jerry Uelsmann early on in my career, both influenced me very much. Ansel was a great humanitarian and photographer and Jerry is still the most creative photographer that I know. I think you can see both influences in my work. Again thank you for choosing me and I wish you much luck in your project. Sincerely,

Dear Ken, Painting with oils on paper is a no no. There is no barrier (like the gelatin in photographic papers) to prevent the acids in the oils from deteriorating the paper fibers. So the best thing to do is just paint on Inkjet Canvas...no problem...There are several out there, I like Epsons Premium WR glossy... but there are matt and semi matt as well. You can buy canvas on a roll or by the sheet. It is really the hottest thing now in the inkjet printing arena. If you intend to cover the entire image with paint you can also buy regular canvas from the art supply stores and print on that. It will not be as sharp as the inkjet coated canvas, but if you are painting it anyhow, it wont matter and it is a lot cheaper. Good luck,

Hello Andrea: Unfortunately there are NO PAPERS that you can apply oil paint to without a ground. There must be a barrier to keep the acids contained in the oil paints away from the paper and ultimately deteriorating it. The Silver gelatin coated on top of the photographic papers did act as a barrier but not so in inkjet coated papers. You can however, print on Canvas and use the oil paints. If you buy inkjet coated canvas it is $$ but you get great details. If this is not important and you intend to completely cover the image with paint... just buy artist canvas and use the image as a sketch on which to paint upon with your oils. Hope this helps.

Dear Susan, The only glossy paper that works is the inexpensive Premium High Gloss stock sold by Office Depot. The rest of the papers are not made any longer. Sorry you are having so much trouble but this one works very quickly and easily, hardly any rubbing at all is required.... Just spray moisten the substrate and spray a little onto the glossy stock lay it down.... Rub slightly.....that is it.

Hello Tom, Studio Artist is now available for bothe Mac and PC users. You can also try a software called Topaz for some very nice effects... They give you a 30 day trial download. And there is always Corels Painter which is a fantastic program, more involved than S.A. but worth the learning. Thanks,

Hi Cathi, Thank you for the nice compliment :) Painting with oils....... on photographic papers. It has been years since I used photographic paper, so I do not know what is out there. I print on an inkjet printer with real artist gesso-ed canvas when I am going to paint with oils now. You can buy inkjet coated canvas, but it is more expensive and seems a waste, especially if you are painting with oils heavily. Millers prints on canvas for photographers and does an excellent job.....check them out at: http://www.millerslab.com/info/products/proddef.aspx Photographic papers are getting very hard to find now. Check with Freestyle and see what they are bringing in. Sorry, I am not much help here.

Dear Greg: The dyes and chemical stains that were used on silver gelatin photographic papers will not work on inkjet papers as they would most likely dissolve the inkjet coating on the top. An easier and more effective way is to do the staining or dye-ing is in Photoshop. Just go to Command B or under Image > Adjust > Color Balance and add a bit of red and yellow to obtain a great Sepia look. If the image is in color....first go to Menu> Image > Hue and Saturation and move the saturation slider to the left until NO color is left...just a b/w image. Make sure the image is in RGB mode (Image> Mode > check RGB) and then add a bit of red and yellow for a great sepia look. For the cynotype look: Take the color out of the image by going to Image > Hue and Saturation and move the saturation slider to the left until NO color is left...just a b/w image. Make sure the image is in RGB mode (Image> Mode > check RGB) and add blue and cyan until you like the look. Now for the good part. If you wish, you can used non-inkjet coated paper such as Arches watercolor paper (both hot press, which is smooth, or cold press, which is textured) and print them out. They will look just like traditional prints. Have fun.

Dear Chris: Well you can certainly use Marshall Oils on your silver gelatin print. The gelatin layer on the paper protects the paper substrate from the acids in the oils deteriorating it . The Marshall oils were developed for just this purpose but they are no longer being made now. However, Freestyle now has line of transparent oils called Arista Photo Oils for oil painting on the Silver Gelatin Prints. I am not sure of what you are asking when you wrote a digital print on silver gelatin paper. Did you mean a digital file on traditional paper? If so, you would first have to make a negative from the digital file to print it onto silver gelatin paper in the darkroom. How would I develop the paper. You would develop your prints in print developer in the darkroom as usual. Mat or a textured papers will work beautifully with the oils. Glossy will work, but you must first coat it with a primer or pre-coat before using the oils. I always preferred the mat papers with oil painting the print. I just finished doing one with the new Artista oils and they worked great. If you use any kind of oil paint on an inkjet paper you must first coat it with a transparent gesso to prevent the oils from leaching thru to the paper substrate. Liquitex and Winsor- Newton both make such a gesso. Happy painting.

Dear Jennie: There are many canvasses out there from which to choose, but using a good WR (Water Resistant) canvas will be beneficial if you intend to laminate or coat the final print as most of the laminates or varnishes are water-based. I like ClearShield Type C for varnishing my final canvas oil painted prints. I have used and like: Epsons Premium Canvas Satin WR Das Geo Canvas: Glossy Fine Art Canvas WR. It is a cotton poly blend that is very water resistant. And I like Das Matte Water Resistant Canvas: This is a coated inkjet cloth canvas with a cotton/poly blend and has a matte finish I don know which Fredrix you tired, but I really like: Fredrix 901 WR Matte canvas. Hope this helps.

Jennie: Well, this is a tough one....but start out with a small amount of Topaz Brown and add small (operative word here is small) amounts of Ivory white and sometimes a small dab of Ruby Red. The problem here is that it depends on the light, the color of the person (the race she/he is) and the setting....sunset, sunrise etc. I would play around with the above colors and when you get something that you like, MAKE a Lot of it and keep it in a jar with a tight lid. Then the next time, you can add a bit of a chosen color to make it fit into the photo/painting that you are working on. At least you will have a base color that you like to begin with. Hope this helps.

Hello Roxanne, Well as I have never done Kalitypes I am not positive but I do not like laid paper either. They are the ones that show a grid or line pattern from the screens that the papers dry upon in the manufacturing process. I have done carbon and platinum and used Cranes platinotype and ecru papers as well as Arches Platine. These are great papers and I am sure you will like them. Also there is a great site that gives a list of paper that work and do not work with alternative proceses: a href=http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/paper/big-paper-survey-results>http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/paper/big-paper-survey-results/a> This might help also. Happy printing.

Susan: This is a tough one as what you are calling orange spots…another person may call yellow spots. If they are yellow/orange it was not properly fixed and these are the beginning of deterioration of the image (fading away)... and will continue to spread whether or not they have been disguised with paints. Or they could be a type of mold/mildew that has begun to grow on the photos surface. If mold and mildew... you could try cleaning the spots first and re-fixing the photo, then allow it to dry. Cleaning the spots: I would soak the print in a warm very lightly soapy bath for a few minutes and pop it into a photographic acid bath then re-fix it in a standard fixer bath. (Freestyle sells all these darkroom chemicals). After which I would then wash for an hour in a tray with running water. You could at this point do one of two things: 1. Paint them with the oil paints to disguise the residue if any is left on the print. 2. Make a digital copy and restore it with Photoshop Glossy paper. If they used a cheap glossy paper, it is most likely a plastic finish on the top. These were horrible papers and no medium did stick to them. Unfortunately, a lot of papers were not fixed well or washed long enough to get the fixer out of the papers, so the yellow/orange spots developed. Here are some suggestions: 1. You could try to use a pre-coat on the top. Marshall used to make a “pre-coat” for painting on glossy papers to give it ooth. I think Freestyle carries something like this in their new line of oil paints. 2. If you can find a pre-coat solution, then spray it with a workable spray (Krylons workable fix-a-tif) and see if that works. 3. Have a copy made on textured paper and restore it. If they still want the glossy look, when finished coloring, spray it with a gloss spray. 4. Make a digital copy and restore it with Photoshop

Hi Les: Marshalls used to make a pre-coat to put onto the surface of the glossy photographic papers, called a PMS solution. Does your set have it? It is a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil-- majority of which was turpentine. I never liked to paint on Glossy photographic papers and always printed on fiber textured papers when I was in the darkroom to hand color upon. Suggestions: You could try to make your own precoating solution: I would try 3/4 turpentine and 1/4 linseed oil to begin with and take a cotton ball and rub it lightly over a portion of your practice print. I would divide the print into four sections. Let it dry and then try the oil paint, see how it works...You may find you need a bit more oil/or turpentine to get the oil paints to adhere correctly. Second suggestion. Try out the Krylons Workable Fixatif. It is made to give a bit of a ooth to the surface of a photo or print. Spray it once and wait 5 minutes and then spray it again. When it is dry, try out your paints. If this works, when you are finished and the oil paints are dry.... at least overnight, spray with the Krylons glossy or semi gloss to even out the paint and protect the photo.