First MA picture!

Hey! after some time..
 Here is the first picture of my ma project.
 It's a Silver print 12x16 printed in Ilford Warmtone semi-mate fiber.

 The process is long:

 First the print is developed and fix in normal developer (used the ilford multigrade): usually about 3,5' development time.
 After that followed by a tonning on selenium 9+1 for 12 minutes (if you manage to maintain it a around 25-30C..is even better..he he he).
 The trick here was, instead of coffee (with I found that "may" fade after 50 years..he he he), I tried a tonning/dye from Photospeed called Antique dye. The result is pretty good, but they came in small bottles (£7 each!) and they get exausted quite quick...after 5x 12x16 fiber , the tonning time is already around 12'. Anyway, the result looks really old, but without the "yellow/tan from the coffee.

 -After it follows the first layer of photospeed water based ink (I add 50% of acetic acid to increase the contrast).

- I am not using marshall's oil.Just switched do normal oil based inks.
- Than the "esbater". Technica learned with the master Julio

    
 Than comes the first aging varnish + cracking:
 Trick: 2' at 50C in the oven (open!) is perfect. This makes big cracks.
  + black patina.

big cracks

The trick here is doing a second cracking:
 As the wheater here is weat, after 4 days the varnish is not total solid.

small cracks

So, leave close (very close) to the heating. This makes small cracks, with will be white, as you wont make a second patine.
 Have a look and old masters paints: the crack is not always black/dark...sometimes is light grey, like the ones you get now.

 In the end, a thin layer of santin varnish, just to broke the shine of the cracking varnish.
TCHANNN!!