Gum Bichromate

I have been printing some of the images from the “Quiet Light” series as gum bichromate prints. Printed on pre-shrunk and sized Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper using potassium dichromate as the sensitizer. I usually print a weak layer of ivory black followed by a layer of burnt umber and finished with another layer of ivory black.

Tri Colour Gum Bichromate Prints

The original colour image is separated into RGB channels and a digital negative is made of each channel.

Pre shrunk and sized watercolour paper is coated with a mixture of potassium bichromate, gum arabic and watercolor pigment.

The paper is dried ,exposed to UV light, and developed in plain water for up to an hour.

The steps are repeated for each color until the print is complete.