Postcards

We are on the cusp of delving into the world of postcards and creating postcards. While on the surface this may not seem like the most exciting and creative assignment, we are spicing it up by making these postcards by making a van dyke print and a gum bichromate print. A little bit of alternative processing to our mainstream idea.
Gum Bichromate:
This is a process which came into use in the 19th century. It is a much more difficult and time consuming process compared to van dyke. Gum Bichromate is a process based on light sensitivity  of dichromates, also known as the emulsion you coat the paper with.
You go about creating a gum bichromate print thus:
1. Soak your paper in water multiple times
2. Mix the emulsion
3. Coat the paper in the emulsion
4. Sandwich the negative between the paper and two pieces of glass and expose for a while
3. Apply another layer of emulsion and repeat

Erin Mahony, instructor, 2015,  http://raykophotocenter.com

Van Dyke:

Van Dykes are a hand coated, contact printing process. The final image is very influenced by the type of paper the image was printed on and the toner used. It is an old process which is comparatively  simple when looking at other old processes. 

You go about creating a van dyke print thus:

1. In a dim room, mix your toner and paint it over your paper

2. Sandwich your negative between a sheet of glass and the coated paper

3. Expose it for 5-10 minutes depending on the intensity of the sun   

Brittni Ross, Bad Dream, 2010, brittnilr.wordpress.com