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| Osage Orange print -- Golden Rain Tree leaf |
I had a "that's funny..." moment earlier this week when I checked on an anthotype experiment that had been baking for almost two weeks. I'd checked it a few times before and been discouraged. Despite bright, sunny days (especially for winter) there seemed to be no change at all in the visible portions of the dye. No fading was visible. I presumed the exposure to be a lost cause, and pulled it on day 10.
As it happens, there had been no fading at all. Instead, there was significant darkening of the exposed dye areas. The area that had been covered by the leaf was showing the original yellow color of the dye, but the exterior areas had dulled and shifted to a dull golden hue. This is an absolutely fascinating result, because up until this point all the anthotypes that I've seen, and all my own tests, have been with natural dyes that fade upon exposure to sunlight. This dye, extracted from osage orange sawdust, is the only one that has become darker with exposure.
This raises all kinds of questions. What will happen with more sunlight during spring and summer? How will the dye respond to moisture from fresh plant samples? Does this form of anthotype have the potential to be archival, at least compared to others? If it doesn't fade under UV, will it simply stabilize, or possibly become more visible as time goes on?
I am incredibly excited by this totally unexpected result. Thanks again, Artisan Dice, you guys gave me such a great gift!
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting result! I recently had a similar experience with my homemade walnut hull ink. I made a few test squares on watercolor paper, covered half of each square with opaque card, and set it on a north-facing windowsill that gets lots of indirect light. When I peeked under the card a couple of weeks later, the part that was covered was lighter! The exposed part had darkened considerably, even in that short a time. Oxidation enhanced by light exposure? Anyway, at least I don't have to worry about sunlight fading my ink...
Very interesting! Could you share some details, like the recipe for the ink and the amount of time involved to see a change? Was the change dramatic? It could be useful for printing if so.
DeleteI made the walnut hull ink by tearing up the outer husks (not the nuts themselves) of walnuts I picked up in the neighborhood. I think they're from black walnut trees. Put them in a crock pot, covered with water, and cooked for about 1/2 day. Strained, cooked the liquid some more to concentrate a bit, and that was it. I found the recipe on the fountainpennetwork.com. The stuff stains like you wouldn't believe, so wear rubber gloves and work outside!
ReplyDeleteI posted a scan of the test piece on my flickr photostream. I started the test on Oct. 23, 2014, mostly to see if the ink would be light-fast. I retrieved it from the attic yesterday. The change isn't too dramatic, and could have been quite soon after I began the test, I just don't know. Apparently oak gall ink will darken "write" before your eyes as it dries. Oh- the darker, cooler brown patch had a little steel wool added. That darkens the ink (in a good way, in my opinion). I like the cocoa-brown, but not so much the yellowish-brown.
Hope this helps! Keep up the interesting projects!