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Thread: Spotting

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    669

    Re: Spotting

    I did a lot of retouching b&w and color. For me the most important thing is a good brush. Winsor & Newton Series 7 in a size 0 or 00.

  2. #12
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
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    18,338

    Re: Spotting

    Ditto. But I mostly use smaller 0000 and 00000, the latter being hard to find anymore.

  3. #13
    Louie Powell's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Saratoga Springs, NY
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    865

    Re: Spotting

    Many years ago, I attended a workshop taught by David Vestal. The process he taught for spotting was to put a few drops of the appropriate mix of Spottone dyes on a palette (he used a porcelain saucer), and allow it to dry. Then this dried spot could be used the same way that one would use dried watercolors - pick up a bit of dye using a brush that has been slightly moistened with water containing a drop of PhotoFlo, and apply it to the print. The dried spot on the palette could be reused repeatedly, and only had to be renewed after many spotting sessions.

    David suggested using a strong, directional light so that the shadow of the brush could be seen on the surface of the print - getting the brush to the right spot then became a matter of aligning the tip of the 0000 brush with its shadow on the target spot - when the tip of the brush touches its shadow, the tip is on the surface, but if the tip and the shadow are separated by some distance, the tip is in the air above the surface. He also emphasized that the purpose of spotting was to make the spot less visible, but not necessarily invisible. The problem with spots is 'local contrast' - abrupt differences in tonality will always be obtrusive, but slight differences won't be seen from normal viewing distances. So it is sufficient to reduce local contrast, but it isn't necessary to make the spot totally disappear; ordinary monochrome Spottone dyes could even be used with color prints. He suggested using drugstore reading glasses as magnifiers when spotting. Unfortunately, that no longer works for me because my reading prescription is now as strong as the strongest drugstore readers.

    David disagreed with the practice of licking the brush. He pointed out out that there was some research that suggested that long-term use of this practice could lead to liver damage, and could interfere with one's ability to drink scotch.

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Newbury, Vermont
    Posts
    2,260

    Re: Spotting

    by the way...anybody know the PH value of spit?

  5. #15
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,338

    Re: Spotting

    Vaughn has been known to chew nettles too, so it's hard to say ... Life is a little different in the redwoods.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Hamilton, Canada
    Posts
    1,881

    Re: Spotting

    Very close to neutral, but dependent on mouth health; about 6.8 on average.

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Oregon now (formerly Austria)
    Posts
    3,397

    Re: Spotting

    Quote Originally Posted by Louie Powell View Post
    ... David suggested using a strong, directional light so that the shadow of the brush could be seen on the surface of the print - getting the brush to the right spot then became a matter of aligning the tip of the 0000 brush with its shadow on the target spot - when the tip of the brush touches its shadow, the tip is on the surface, but if the tip and the shadow are separated by some distance, the tip is in the air above the surface. ...
    Great tip! Especially for when one is not using a binocular magnifier.

  8. #18
    Arca-Swiss
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    291

    Re: Spotting

    I used to use a piece of clear film or mylar, on top of the print and spot it on top of the spot that needed spotting, and near the edge of the mylar, until it was close or matched the correct tone, then transfer the spotone to the print.

    It worked very well.
    Rod Klukas
    US Representative
    Arca-Swiss USA
    480-755-3364
    www.arca-swiss-usa.com

  9. #19
    Vaughn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Humboldt County, CA
    Posts
    9,211

    Re: Spotting

    Cool -- that's a new one for me!
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Newbury, Vermont
    Posts
    2,260

    Re: Spotting

    Wow...learn somthin' new every day!

    Hey...anyone suspicious that the newer Marshall's brew isn't quite the equal of Spotone?

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