PHOTOGRAMS and CHEMOGRAMS - a request for more information

  Hope this helps.......

  I made all my chemograms in the darkroom. We need the sink area to ensure I complied with workplace health and safety policies. I also had ready access to safe lights and normal lights which was very handy. 

   The trick to making a successful fixer chemogram is to wash the fixer off the photo paper BEFORE it goes into the developer. If not, the developer will become contaminated very quickly and loose its ability to work on the photo paper.

   Once the fixer chemogram is in the developer, you need to remove it as soon as the desired effect is achieved. Wash off the developer as quickly as possible. As long as the developer is in contact with the silver halides in the paper, they will keep on developing until it is removed.

   One of my biggest tricks when working with developer and fixer chemicals is to prepare them with warm-hot water. The heat makes the chemicals react much, much faster with the silver halides in the photo paper. The only drawback is being prepared to remove the photo paper, as the reaction can often be extremely quick.

   Preparing the chemicals with cold water is ok but when you have limited time working with a bunch of kids, you need to get the job done in one lesson. The coldness of the water inhibits the chemicals reaction with the silver halides. Developing and fixing becomes very slow. Fixing for 10 minutes can become fixing for 20 minutes!!

   I used to always prepare my chemicals a little stronger than was recommended. For example, paper developer (Ilford brand) was prepared at 100mls chemical + 900mls water = 1000mls. I frequently used 200mls + 800mls of warm - hot water = 1000mls and  300mls + 700mls warm - hot water = 1000mls. It might seem a bit wasteful but the failure rate for my students was always pretty low. If the photo paper was reacting too quickly, I could always add a little bit of cold water to slow it down. I did the same with fixer (Hypam Fixer, Ilfordbrand)

Enlarger Photogram with a Handmade 35mm Negative:

I used to have my students make their own 35mm negative by scratching an image into the EMULSION SIDE of unprocessed 35mm film. They would then create a test strip to determine the correct f.stop.,  time interval and paper grade. It was usually, Grade 3, f.8, 8 - 10 seconds. If memory serves me right, the image came out as black lines as light passed through the emulsion lines onto the photo paper. This could then be toned with coloured photographic dyes, the photo paper could be scratched into, etc.

   I have only ever created chemograms and photograms using photographic paper.

    I have created sun pictures using photographic paper and using the emulsion that you paint onto paper and expose to the sun. The paint on emulsion can be applied to any surface and exposed to the sun like you do with photographic paper. You then just develop the image using developer.

   I think the thing with learning how to become successful in making chemograms is to play around with the procedural steps until you find what works for you. The steps I posted worked for me but they may not be totally successful for you.

   I have used hand lotion with both fixer and developer chemograms. I have had some truly beautiful and abstract results.

Lotion Fixer Chemogram:

1. Paint/apply hand lotion to the surface of photo paper.

2. Place in the fixer bath. Only areas exposed to the fixer will be affected. Remove when the desired effect is created. At least 1 minute to ensure the fixer kills the silver halides. Stronger solution preparation will solve this problem - 200mls + 800mls water = 1000mls. Silver halides under the lotion should be protected from the fixer.

3. Wash off the lotion in clean, warm water.

4. Place in the developer bath. Only the areas that have not been exposed previously to the fixer will be affected by the developer. These areas should turn black but depending on the thickness of the lotion and how much the fixer has affected the silver halides, you may get some purple or brown or pink or even blue.

5. Develop for at least 1 minute. Strong solution preparation can be used which will lessen the amount of time the photo paper needs to stay in the bath. This in turn will affect what colours (if any) appear. It is a trial-and-error thing.

6. Wash for 10 minutes.

Lotion Developer Chemogram:

1. Paint/apply lotion to the surface of the photo paper.

2. Place in the developer bath. Only the areas not protected by the lotion with be affected by the developer. These areas will turn black.

NOTE: The thickness of the lotion will affect the development process and some interesting affects can be achieved. Play around with how THICK the lotion is applied. Really thick lotion will resist the developer. Varying thickness will achieve varying degrees of development. The silver halide will only partially die.

3. Wash the lotion off.

4.Place the photo paper into the fixed bath. It is important that the photo paper stay in the fixer bath for at least 10 minutes to ensure the photo paper is fixed. If not, the photo paper will be affected by white light once it leaves the darkroom.

   The idea of using hand lotion is because it blocks the effects of white light on the photo paper. I have never tried Petroleum/Vaseline Jelly. It might work but it is transparent so......

   Handcolouring chemograms, photograms and prints - I have used everything from food colouring to watercolour to coloured drawing inks to whatever I think might work. Could never stop experimenting with ideas that usually came into my head at about 4am!!!

   If anyone has any questions or wants to know something in particular, please do not hesitate to ask me......

Thanks    xxxx