Bromoil printing and bromoil transfer

by Emil Mayer

The Structure of the Ink.—Independently of the surface of the paper on which the work is done, the structure of the coating of ink can be influenced by the nature of the brush work. If a brush well charged with ink has its full surface placed firmly on the gelatine film and then slowly lifted up, an impression of the surface of the brush remains; the individual hairs or groups of hairs of the brush have each deposited a part of the ink that they had taken up, and a very coarse-grained spot of ink is produced. If we now hop, that is, dab with quick light blows of the brush, the ink begins to be distributed, since it is taken away from the lighter parts and taken up by the shadows. The drawing of the picture thus appears under the brush, at first with a very coarse grain and without many details. The longer one hops and thus distributes the ink, the finer becomes the grain, and it especially becomes much finer on the addition of softer ink. The bromoil printer hence has it completely within his power to limit the division of the ink to any desired coarseness of grain, assuming, of course, that he has suited the consistency of the ink to the degree of relief, and is therefore able to completely finish the print with the original ink without adding any softer. Prints may thus be prepared, which because of their coarse structure, resemble certain graphic methods. But, when this is intended, the application of the ink must be carried on as evenly as possible from the beginning, so that it needs very little hopping off, for any considerable amount of hopping unavoidably produces a finer grain. Even if the use of softer inks is necessary, a coarse structure can be obtained by suitable brush work. The longer, however, the ink is distributed by hopping, the finer becomes the structure of the ink film and the smoother the surface.

The most perfect smoothness is also attainable, if it is desired for any reason. For this a not too volatile solvent should be used, such as heavy benzol. The method of using this is as follows: when the print has been fully inked and is complete, though still somewhat coarse-grained, a cloth should be wet with the benzol, and the brush lightly pressed thereon and then passed quickly over the desired parts of the picture. At first a smeared spot is formed on the surface of the print; by continued gentle hopping the spot is gradually worked out, and by continued working we get a fineness of detail, equal to that of printing-out paper. It is true that even the highest lights acquire a delicate film of ink, so that a print treated in this way is somewhat low in key. If the hopping with the brush charged with benzol is not continued until the finest possible grain is attained, a misty effect may be produced, with some suppression of the finest details; a method which is frequently useful in the production of landscapes.

By suitable ink and brush technique the effect of any other known photographic printing process may be attained in bromoil printing, from the rich-in-detail gloss of collodio-chloride paper to the characteristic effects of gum-bichromate. Yet the far-reaching possibilities which bromoil places at our command really only begin where most of the other processes end.

Different Methods of Working.—In the following pages some of the different methods of technique, which the bromoil process permits, will be briefly sketched. Obviously, however, the description of these methods cannot be made complete without practical demonstration. Nor can all conceivable methods of working be mentioned, as individual treatment of the process can be varied in many ways.

We will first describe the method of working which is most suitable for the beginner, because it offers tolerable certainty to those who have not yet mastered the process.

The beginner, in order to obtain good results, must start with a bromide print as clean and well-modeled as possible, and its high lights should not be fogged in the least. He should place the print, bleached and prepared exactly according to the methods detailed in this book, in water at about 18° C. (65° F.), leave it there for a few minutes, dry its surface, and begin the application of the ink with the stiffer ink, which should be thinly applied and then worked over until the hopping brings out no further detail. If the drawing of the image does not quickly appear upon hopping the print, and the result is only a detailless patch of ink, the original temperature of the soaking bath must be increased. Then the print should be again immersed in the water, left for two minutes, and again dried. The work of hopping is now continued with the same brush with which the print was originally treated, and without its having been again put into the ink. As a rule the mere placing of the print in water again will have increased the contrasts, and new details will have appeared, which can be considerably accentuated by now going over with the brush. Only when the print has been again worked over, should fresh ink be carefully applied with the brush; this should then be distributed by hopping, and the print again soaked in water. The procedure thus outlined: application of the ink, hopping, soaking, going over it with the empty brush, fresh ink application, hopping, soaking, and so on, is continued as long as the print gains in strength and depth, without becoming dull or muddy. If, however, this point is reached, the inked print should be immersed in water at a rather higher temperature and left in it for some minutes. The print is then further treated with the brush, without fresh inking, and will soon become much clearer in the high lights. If the clearing thus obtained is not sufficient, the temperature of the water bath should be increased by a few degrees, but not more than 5° C. (9° F.) at a time. As the high lights become clearer it may happen that the stiff ink will no longer be taken up. Then it is necessary to soften it a little. This method of working will guarantee to the beginner the attainment of good results with tolerable certainty.

Hard Ink Technique (Coarse-grain Prints).—If it is desired to prepare a bromoil print of rough surface and coarser character, the worker must be able to finish the print exclusively with a relatively hard ink. For this it is necessary to determine by trial the temperature of the water bath at which the film of the print acquires a relief which is absolutely suitable for the stiff ink. When this degree of relief has been found, the print should be inked up strongly but evenly from the very start, so that one is not compelled to go over individual places several times with the brush. Thus the coarse structure of the ink is obtained. The use of hog’s bristle brushes is also efficacious in coarse-grained work.

Soft Ink Technique.—This method of working is used on the one hand for the preparation of low-toned misty effects, on the other hand to obtain fully and richly modeled prints. In the first case the bromide print should be correctly exposed, but not completely developed; while in the second case it should be thoroughly developed. The print is then, according to the choice of the operator, either brought at once to a fairly high relief, or only gradually raised to the same relief during the application of the ink. Then, in the course of inking, a point is soon reached at which the stiffer ink is repelled by the high lights and perhaps also by the lighter half-tones, and during the hopping is again taken up by the brush. Then the ink should be carefully softened with linseed oil or varnish, and the whole print gone over with the softer ink. Prints which are executed in the soft ink technique are characterized by a specially fine velvety surface after defatting.

Sketch Technique.—If one proposes to completely work up certain parts of a print and leave the rest treated in a sketchy manner, and possibly to omit some parts altogether, one should begin by working up the part which should stand out. Thus, in a portrait, the head should be first worked up; then proceed systematically, with the ink remaining in the brush, to sketch in the clothing and the background, and perhaps leave unimportant parts of the print completely untouched. To facilitate the work, disturbing details or a too prominent background may be removed or reduced on the bromide print, before bleaching, with dilute Farmer’s reducer. If, when the work is finished, the parts that have not been inked are visible through their relief and glossiness, these traces of the uninked picture completely disappear in drying, if the original bromide print was not developed too vigorously. If one contemplates producing a vignette, it is absolutely unnecessary to obtain this by the use of masks or vignetters when making the bromide print. The effects which result from the suitable treatment of the bromoil print are far more free and beautiful.