Reference recommendations
Keep in mind when learning a craft, what's gospel to some won't always work for another. Therefore, when an author writes some technique, or paper, or pigment shouldn't or won't work, test for yourself. Use the references to create your own process or vision. Here are the books I've used over the years in no particular order of preference.
| The Practical Photographer Series, #14; May, 1905; This volume contains classic instruction. Very good information on brushes and style. | |
| Overexposure: Health Hazards in Photography; Susan Shaw; The Friends of Photography; Know your enemy! | |
| Photographic Sensitometry; Todd & Zakia; Morgan & Morgan; Know the rules so you can break them. | |
| Photographic Facts & Formulas; Wall & Jordan; Amphoto; The best cookbook ever. | |
| The Gum Bichromate Book, 2nd Edition; David Scopik; Focus Press; A good place to start with the gum process. I've always pretty much used variations of David's formulae. | |
| The Painter's Craft; Ralph Mayer; Yale. | |
| Gumoil Photographic Printing, Revised Edition; Karl P Koenig; Focal Press. | |
| Blue & Yellow Don't Make Green, Revised Edition; Michael Wilcox; North Light Books. | |
| Gum Printing; Stephen Livick; self-published. An excellent publication. Covers everything to get printing. | |
| Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing; Dan Burkholder; Bladed Iris Press. Very detailed information to allow a gum printer to create digital negs in Photoshop. You can find him with a Google search. |
Here are a few sites I found interesting. Interesting either for the information contained on them or the images the artist shows or both. Some of them I visit regularly, some rarely, but all have been interesting at some point in time. In no particular order, they are...
http://www.gumphoto.fsnet.co.uk/; The web site of artist Hamish Stewart contains an interesting series of images and info on his process both in the studio and in the mind.
http://www.danburkholder.com; While I had started playing with Epson and ALPS printers for creating my gum negatives before I read Dan's book, my technique and my negs really improved after reading it. His web site contains even more info and updates to the book. Gum printers will find helpful files and information using PhotoShop to create negatives. His surrealist style is interesting, too. Having seen a show of his work, they do look better in a gallery than on the web - but, what art doesn't?
http://www.dl-c.com/; Digital Light & Color has an interesting program called Picture Window Pro. I use it (when I was still using PC's) and PhotoShop to create my gum negatives. For black and white work I think this program superior in many ways to PhotoShop. It certainly is much cheaper and the tech support is as good as instantaneous. If you are contemplating getting into digital negatives, and you use a PC, check this site out.
http://www.livick.com/; Steven Livick is an artist living in Canada. He works in large scale gum murals and his methods are well thought out and tested thoroughly. I mentioned his book above and his site is worth your time also.
http://www.scari.org/; Indulge in the persistence of doubt... While there are some political and social commentary artists and organizations on the web. Serene Cultural Alliance Research Institute is, without question, above and beyond. Intelligent, witty, satirical and entertaining commentary accompany original imagery which strikes to the heart of the human condition. Check it out yourself...
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