Blog for Nickelson Editions – Fine Art Digital Printmaking
Feb 18th, 2010 by admin
I just received my new issue of Color Magazine today – the Single Image Contest issue – and NE client Arla Patch is again featured in this annual awards issue. Congratulations to Arla - well deserved recognition for her work. We printed this image 36×48 inches back in September and it looked spectacular. Arla’s image, Maple Symmetry, is here:
Feb 8th, 2010 by admin
Many black & white photographers are familiar with Lenswork magazine, the excellent fine art black & white magazine that is known for its superb quality of printing. Founder Brooks Jensen has started a number of promising blogs associated with the magazine, and I wanted to highlight two recent postings that might be of interest to many fine art photographers and printers.
One thing Lenswork is also known for is its consistent warm, brown look for its black & white imagery. Lenswork uses a duotone printing process and Brooks has an interesting discussion of why they use such a process instead of a more traditional quadtone CMYK printer on his new blog. Many people have tried to replicate that look (which originates from the duotone printing process and their choice of inks) but Brooks has posted his own personal attempt to do so in a format suitable for both Lightroom and Photoshop at the bottom of that article. I tried out the Photoshop version (a Black & White adjustment layer that you ‘load’ as part of a new adjustment layer) and I’d say it is a pretty close match, as you can see in the image below:
I don’t think that one should blindly follow the settings of others, but this should be a good starting point if you are a fan of the tone of Lenswork. Each printer and paper will also have an impact on any final printed images, and to use this particular conversion you will have to print the image as a color image using Photoshop.
If you use an Epson printer with its Advanced Black & White mode (which I find to be superior to printing a black & white image, even toned, as a color image), you can also use Brooks’ ABW settings as a starting point for your own printing. I haven’t tried to print using these settings but I look forward to testing them out. Achieving a satisfying tone and color on a fine art digital black & white print is often difficult to achieve, but the tools to do so are quite powerful (and complex) and having a good starting point for the look you are trying to achieve can result in significant savings in time, ink, and paper.
Jan 26th, 2010 by admin
If you haven’t yet seen the absolutely wonderful Going Forward, Looking Back show at the University of New England Art Gallery in Portland, I highly recommend going to see it as soon as possible. Run, don’t walk, as they say. The show ends this weekend, January 31st, after which it will travel to other locations in New England.
Check out the list of artists and processes that are displayed in the show in the right hand column of the page! I have never seen that many of these processes at one location before, and to have such an opportunity right here in Maine is truly a treat. I learned quite a bit being able to study one process after another within the show when I went to the opening way back in 2009, and I plan on going back one more time this weekend to soak it in again. While I of course now focus on digital printing, the opportunity to study all of these historical processes is quite valuable.
Aug 31st, 2009 by admin
(Note – this is cross-posted at the VoxPhotographs blog)
Sometimes the simplest items can make your life so much easier. If you are doing digital printing with glossy or luster prints (or having someone do those sort of prints for you), you may have noticed some complications compared to the matte prints that most of us used previously. Two things that seem to come up quite often are:
1) How do I sign this – the pencil doesn’t work!
2) Why is the print so curly? How do I get it flat?
Well, there are solutions to both of these problems – one very inexpensive, one not so much.
For signing these glossier prints, the solution is straightforward. Pencil doesn’t really work, so you need to use pen. Most pens (including Sharpies), however, are in no way archival and you don’t want to bring questionable elements into an archival fine art print. The solution? Archival pens. The only such pens that I know of are the Sakura Pigma Micro pens, which should be available for a couple of dollars each at your local art supply stores or online at places like Dick Blick. These pens use pigments inks similar to the inks used in the Epson, Canon, and HP high-end printers.
I use the black inks and the 02 thickness – too much smaller of a point and I find that it doesn’t write smoothly, and too much larger of a point I find to be distractingly visible. Try some out yourself and see which one works best for you. I wish we could just use pencil with these lovely new papers, but the Sakura pens provide a great archival alternative.
As for how to get these papers flat, the answer is equally simple but unfortunately much more expensive. If you buy sheet paper this likely won’t have been a problem for you, but if you use roll paper, you likely will have had to deal with severe curls at some point. One solution that has worked great for me is known as the D-Roller.
What is the D-Roller? Well, it is hard to describe. Basically, there is a long metal rod with a plastic sheet wrapped around it many times. You roll out the sheet, place your paper in there, and roll the whole thing up tightly, and then unroll it. Your paper, no matter how bad the original curl was, will come out flat. Completely flat. Here’s a photo of it in process and you can find a review (with video) at the Luminous Landscape site:
For the life of me, I can’t figure out how this thing works from a technical standpoint – it is clearly some sort of magic. But work it does. I’ve tried stacking up weights on the paper and other homemade solutions, but nothing works as well or as quickly as the D-Roller. So, if you use a lot of roll paper and have problems with curling, I highly recommend buying one of these. One great vendor for buying this is Shades of Paper – here is where it listed on their website.
Aug 28th, 2009 by admin
NE client Arla Patch received a Merit Award from Color Magazine, resulting in publication of a selection of her images in this month’s Portfolio Issue. They don’t include all of the entries on the website, but luckily Color Magazine chose to use her image as part of the table of contents, seen here and below. The issue is well worth checking out – the overall quality of work is quite superb and compares very favorably with the results from other similar contests, including their sister publication B&W Magazine. Congratulations to Arla and all of the other winners!
Aug 26th, 2009 by admin
Next Wednesday, Sept. 2, private gallery VoxPhotographs will have its annual Art Nouveau show in Portland from 4:30-7:30 pm. If you are interested in attending, please contact Heather Frederick to RSVP. Nickelson Edition clients Susan Guthrie and Arla Patch will both be showing new work (as well as myself). The invitation (with just a taste of some of the new work) is shown below…
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  September, 2009 www.voxphotographs.com |
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NINE ARTISTS / NEW WORK
Mark Rockwood · David Wolfe · Susan Guthrie David Brooks Stess · Liv Kristin Robinson · Arla Patch Stacey Cramp · Jim Nickelson · David Puntel
VoxPhotographs’ photographers are gathering at the gallery
on September 2 to meet you. They have been working on new projects and are eager to share them - - with the community. |
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When and Where
Meet the Artists! Chestnut St. Lofts Portland, Maine Wednesday, September 2 4:30-7:30pm RSVP HERE
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As well, the actual photographs can be seen by appointment in downtown Portland by calling 207-323-1214 or e-mailing info@voxphotographs.com. Many of you have visited this fabulous space and enjoyed the terrific views over Portland, as well as the hospitality of Director Heather Frederick.
Treat yourself to something special and join us all on September 2, 4:30-7:30 for great photographs, conversation and refreshments.
Aug 5th, 2009 by admin
NE client Robert Moran just published his new website - http://www.robertmoran.com. His wonderful travel images – primarily from Africa and India – include both portraits and landscape images. If you want to see these in person – and you should – he’ll be at the Portland Sidewalk Art Festival on August 22nd. Bob chose Harman Glossy FB Al for printing his black & white work and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bartya for his color work.
A few examples of his images are shown below:
Aug 4th, 2009 by admin
This Friday, August 7th, a new show of self-portraits opens at the CMCA in Rockport. The show includes the work of over 65 artists in varying mediums. Nickelson Editions client Sarah Szwajkos has a lovely image included in this show (sorry – no digital version at this time – you’ll have to see the show!). I don’t think I’ll be able to make the opening (5-7 pm on the 7th) but I’ll definitely catch the show before it ends October 3rd, as it looks very intriguing.
May 29th, 2009 by admin
Linden Frederick continues to receive much attention for his recent show at the CMCA in Rockport (open until July 18), most recently from Yankee Magazine and the Portland Press Herald. You can purchase limited edition reproductions of four pieces of his work (created by Nickelson Editions) from either the CMCA or directly from his website. Linden has selected Canson Infinity Rag Photographique for his reproductions.
Apr 30th, 2009 by admin
Arla Patch, a Nickelson Editions client, was recently interviewed for the 207 program on Portland, Maine’s channel 6. Video of the interview is here. The interview provides a fascinating perspective on her most recent work and the troubles undergone by her portraiture subjects.
