Oil Printing Process

The Oil Printing process, whose origins go back to the mid-nineteenth century, works on the same principle as the Carbon process (1855) where the watercolor paper is soaked in a gelatin bath then dried. In the meantime a digital negative is made, contact printed under UV lights on the sensitized watercolor paper. The paper prepared in this way is called the matrix and is ready for applying lithography inks, building up layers upon layers to create the desired image. 

                 Bromoil Process                 

The bromoil process was invented in 1907 by Englishman C. Wellbourne Piper.

A bromoil print is simply a black and white photograph printed on a suitable photographic paper from which the silver image is removed and lithography inks applied. This is accomplished by first immersing the black and white print in a chemical solution which bleaches away the silver image and converts into varying degrees of insolubility the gelatin coating which holds the silver. Only a faint image remains.

The print, now referred to as the matrix, is immersed in warm water where the gelatin swells in direct proportion to the amount of silver originally contained in the emulsion. In the shadows areas, the gelatin is very hard and thus swells very little. The highlights, on the other hand, remain soft and swell considerably. When lithography inks are applied to the moist gelatin surface with the stag-foot bromoil brush, the inks are accepted freely in the shadows and lower tonal values. The highlights in the print, because they are swollen with water reject the ink, while the intermediate tones accept the inks proportionately.

Like you see, bromoil is a unique blend of art and craft that allows you to produce results that simply cannot be achieved in any other way.

There are three features that make the bromoil process so attractive to creative photographers. The first is that every bromoil print is unique. The second, more important reason is that the bromoil process offers a great deal of control; during the application of the ink there are limitless opportunities to manipulate the image and create a true work of art. Finally, the silver print will deteriorate over the years while the inked image is completely permanent. It will last as long as the paper on which it is applied, approximately 5 centuries. The same applies to the Oil Printing process which is done on water color paper.

There are three features that make the Oil Printing process and Bromoil process so attractive to the artist. The first is that every print is unique. The second, more important reason is that they offer a considerable amount of control; during the application of the ink, there are limitless opportunities to manipulate the image and create a true work of art. Finally, the silver print will deteriorate over the years while the inked image is completely permanent. It will last as long as the paper on which it is applied, approximately 5 centuries. The same applies to the Oil Printing process which is done on water color paper.