Photo Oils and Pencils.

One Eye Skinny's Black and White Reprint. Photo Oils and Pencils. Marshall Hand Tint Materials Guide. Please contact us. Pacco J. Pompei's Guest book. Favorite Links

Preparing The Surface.

   Before you begin to think about what colors you'll be applying to your image, consider the surface of the print itself. By far the most receptive surface for Hand Coloring with Oils and Pencils is a flat, matte one. For photographers, this means choosing a Fiber-based or Resin-coated matte printing paper. The RC papers offer easy processing convenience, as they dry quickl;y and without Curl.   

Print Color, Print Density.

   Consideration should also be given to the type of paper and the printing Technique for images that are to be Hand Colored. This involves the "image color" of the paper and the degree  of density--or tonal richness--of the print. As the colors are transparent, whatever color sits underneath will effect the final hue. In Black and White papers, the image color can range from what's known as "cold" to "warm", with cold papers having bright, white highlights and deep, almost bluish blacks, and warm papers having creamy white highlights and near-brownish blacks. Most papers are neutral, or sit some where between these two extremes, or can be pushed in one direction or another through the use of different developers. 

Matte finished Paper.

   The reason matte papers are favored is that they simply have a better "tooth" or holding surface for Oils and Pencils than do glossy or satin-type finishes.

Application and blending.

The general method for applying color is to lay it on the print then rub it down. If you're working with Oils, squeeze a small amount from the tube onto a hard, non-absorbent surface, then pick it up with cotton wrapped skewer, or a cotton ball. Place the color onto the print in as broad or small an area as needed, then rub that color in with a clean piece of color. itself