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PreambleThere are not too many books on bromoil written in the last 50 years, but today there are at least 3 good books available.
The process is quite easily described in William Crawford's The Keepers of Light, as most other alternative processes are.
Luis Nadeau has written a book specificly about this process (History and Practice of Oil and Bromoil Printing), and there is a newer book by David Lewis available (The art of Bromoil & Transfer).
David Lewis is also selling equipment and teaches workshops in Canada and USA.
Recently, Gene Laughter has published a brand new book called Bromoil 101. In my opinion he takes the bromoil process a few steps further away from the "traditional" way of making bromoil images. Not only technically, but also when it comes to image subjects. Recommended. If I had to choose only one, this would be my obvious choice.
If you should encounter any problems finding any of these books, try Photo-Eye in Santa Fe.
Scandinavian readers may even find the now out - of - print book Handbok i Ädelförfarande, written by Björn Andersson.
I can't describe the bromoil process in a better way than done in these books.
This page is not meant as an alternative to any of the books I have mentioned above, but as a small supplement.
As soon as you overcome the initial problems of obtaining non-supercoated paper, suitable brushes and ink, the rest is more or less as in the books. But the results are always improvable. It is said that bromoil is a difficult process. I don't know, but I have had more trouble getting any image at all in gum bichromate.
I think there are a lot of different ways that will work in one way or another. I stick to what works for me. I suppose others who have tried the process and may read this will shake their heads in disbelief and say that this guy has not understood anything. That may be so, but it works for me.
Why I got started in the first placeI first read about the process in a swedish book about alt photo techniques several years ago, without it arousing any interest. The book was without illustrations. Then, early 1995, it was an article about the process and a video in a british magazine called PhotoPro. I ordered the video. Then, soon afterwards there were two articles in a swedish photo magazine, the first showing a couple of really ugly pictures which - according to the magazine - should be fairly sensational because it was in that old and forgotten process. I had seen a good portrait in the british magazine, and knew it could be done different and a lot better than in that swedish magazine. Finally, the video arrived, and it was quite an eye-opener. It may not be in the Oscar-league, but it is a video of about an hours length, half of it is talk about the process and shows a lot of different prints. The other half is a demonstration on how a bromoil print is made. The man who is on the video has been doing these prints for more than 50 years.
Without this video I believe I may not have succeeded so quickly in making some sort of print (or tried it at all), and they may have looked quite different. In my opinion the video is really worth seeking out. It also shows some of the manipulations you can make to a print afterwards to enchance the content of the print.
History Usable bromoils were produced in 1907, and the process was improved and simplified by a number of practitioners. Contrary to earlier processes, large format negatives and special light sources were no longer necessary to make bromoils. Equipment soon got readily available, and several companies produced everything that was needed.
Popularity decreased after a few decades. After all the bromoil process was quite time-consuming, the silver processes known today improved significantly and the so-called pictorial photography that bromoilists cherished had really got out of style.
The bromoil process almost disappeared, non-supercoated paper vanished and manufacturers stopped making the necessary materials. Some individuals struggled on and made bromoils, but to the rest of us the process was completely forgotten.
Until now. Several alternative processes has had some sort of revival, and as far as I know, there are now bromoilists in Scandinavia, Holland, Germany, Canada and USA. In England the activity has never faded away completely.
What is itA bromoil is simply a silver print, the silver image has been bleached away and the gelatine in the emulsion has been hardened in the bleaching process in proportion to the amount of silver bleached away. The print (now called the matrix) is dried and later soaked in water. The non-hardened parts of the gelatine emulsion will swell and the hardened parts will not. When applying a greasy ink it will stick to the non-swollen gelatine and be rejected from the swollen parts.
The way to do it Well, at least the way I do it:
NegativesNegatives are said to be somewhat different from the usual - they shall be overexposed and underdeveloped. Large shadow areas will soon block up, and highlights will easily print pure white when ink is applied. Mediocre to low contrast negatives and prints will be most suitable, with details both in the light and dark areas. White should probably be a kind of grey in the silver print. All this according to the books.
I never have had the patience to go out and look up "bromoil-motives". I use the negatives I have got, and print them to suit the process. I always make test strips when making prints.
I have successfully made prints from normal negatives. I have been using a dilute print developer, exposing the paper and developing the print for about 30 seconds and then transferring the partly-developed print to another dish with pure water at the same temperature as the developer. The print is then left without any agitation in the water-bath for two minutes. Fixed as usual. I use a diffusion enlarger for bromoil prints.
PaperThe surface of the Kentmere papers is what annoys me. The papers are easy to use, and give a quite pleasant appearance, at least before bleaching. Both papers have a textured surface, small regular recessions that look like holes all across the surface. If you look at a bromoil real close, it is quite ugly. You have to get used to it. I have put some of my bromoils behind glass in frames, but they still show that surface.
The papers are all baryta. At least in my hands, the papers and surfaces appear quite unaffected by tongs and normal darkroom handling.
The Kentmere papers are made in grade 2 and 3. I use grade 2. The softer the better. The contrast shall be built up during the inking - not by using hard paper. If done correctly it is possible to ink the print to a desired contrast. Each time the print is soaked after the first inking, contrast will increase. When the contrast suddenly has become to high, I do not know how to soften the print again.
I really hope someone will make a decent non-supercoated paper soon. A paper that does not look like something to be used in a toilet. I have heard that Agfa Matte FB #118 and Ilford FB Matte IV will work.
Developing the silver printKodak D 163
To make normal silver prints mix with 3 parts of water and develop for 1,5 minutes. For bromoils it may be neseccary to mix with more water.
Some books say 75 g of anhyd. Sodium carbonate, but I have used it with 65 g. Probably not too important with bromoils, as a too vigorous developer is not preferable anyway.
Otherwise this developer is recommended for Agfa Record Rapid and Portriga Rapid.
Bleaching To use, mix one part of this bleach to 19 parts of water. Bleach for at least 10 minutes in a tray with constant agitation. The working solution will soon be exhausted. When bleaching times get real long, make a new one. Bleach until all the black has disappeared.
Take care. Some of the chemicals in the bleach are real nasty.
The inkIt is now said that a new batch of #1796 is thinner than before, and not so suitable for bromoils. I have not checked this out. Another ink from the same company, Graphic Chemical & Art no. 1803 (Senefelder's Crayon Black) is said to be suitable.
Lately, we have found different inks from Daniel Smith in Seattle that work well, but in a different way. Their Classic Lithographic Black #100 and Litho. Dom. Velvet Black AC-63 are OK, and can be mixed for a different effect.
When I first tried Bromoil I used the Charbonnel Etching Ink Black F66, but the only way to make the print look anything like a picture at all was using a wet brush on the highlights. But then again - shoepolish also works for a friend of mine - when inking with a wet brush. These prints should be framed to avoid the smell.
Normal off - the - shelf oil colours will simply not work.
Brushes Once upon a time brushes made for bromoil were easily available. Not so any more. I once ordered some specially cut ones from England, but they are useless in my hands.
I use a cut brush to apply the ink, but a normal one after that. I get best results with stiff brushes, hog hair is OK.
I recommend spending some money on good quality brushes. The cheap ones that spread a lot of hair all over a print, make cleaning the print afterwards a boring necessity.
Don't try to save money when looking for brushes. A good one can last half a lifetime.
Try several different brushes. Some brushes will make a coarse, grainy print, while others may give the bromoil a smooth, photographic-like appearance.
Inking My friend Jurek and I started out making bromoils at the same time, using the same paper, paper developer, ink and brushes, but we get quite different pictures. Since we live a few kilometers apart, the only answer we can think of is that there may be a slight difference in water quality. I don't know.
He now soaks the bleached and dried print in water about 30 degrees centigrade for 20 to 30 minutes, but I have best experiences with a soaking time of about 5 minutes at normal room temperature. The temperature may have an affect on the swelling of the gelatine and the way the emulsion resists the ink in the highlights. There are quite a few variables, and in some ways there really seems to be no right or wrong way to do it as far as you know what you are doing and get the results you want.
It is possible to use a roller to apply the ink.
During inking I put the print back in the water when the paper starts to dry up. When the paper is back in the water, you should see the image building up a little contrast. After this soaking (for a short time, not minutes) wipe off all drops of water again, and continue working on the print with a CLEAN brush to distribute the ink from the highlights to the dark parts of the picture. Do this as many times as needed - inking - soaking - wipe off water - using the brush - soaking - wipe off water - brush ........
If the image gets too pale, use the brush with the ink once more. I use 2 brushes, one for applying the ink, and one for working on the print afterwards. You can also use small brushes to work on small parts of the image that need special treatment.
If the ink will not set on the paper, there can be many causes:
If the ink sticks uniformly to the paper and will not be removed by any means other than white spirit:
First appliance of ink shall be very gentle, use very little ink on the brush and work on it for maybe 10 to 15 minutes - several times with the brush until the whole paper is covered quite uniformly with ink. Then you can soak it again; if all is correct you will see a faint image appear on the paper in the water.
Making the prints has something to to with how you use the brush. I cannot describe how to do it. I my opinion this is best described in The Keepers of Light. After some practice it will suddenly be much easier to ink the print, and you will probably master the inking process much better than before after only a couple of days of inking. But don't use the brush too hard at first, use several minutes to apply the ink to the print initially, maybe up to 15 minutes for an 11x14 print.
One beginners fault is obviously using too much ink.
Inking with a wet brush has been a well - known secret if you can't get a print as contrasty as you want the ordinary way. Water drops on a print will make an uneven print with white spots. The way I used water on the brush was to clear the highlights. It is a little difficult to explain, but using too much water on the brush makes drops on the print that are difficult to even out. Experiment.
Take care not to get ink on your fingers, clothes, furniture and lover. The ink is hard to remove.
Afterwork It is possible to alter and improve a bromoil after inking. Parts of the image can be worked upon with a piece of indian rubber or a knife to remove or enchance lines or details or simply add things that were not present in the original print. But a little warning is needed: when something first is removed, it is nothing but white paper underneath, and too much of these "improvements" can easily ruin the image.
A soft pencil can also be used to work on the image.
I never do any of these things. I simply flatten a bromoil (quickly) in a dry-mount press and frame it with a mat beneath glass.
It is important to let the prints dry for several days - maybe weeks - before flattening.
Cleaning the brushesI use turpentine. If the brushes are not too much contaminated (as they should not be - remember very little ink is used, just at the tip of the hairs), it is also possible to use soap and water. I am not kidding.
Where to see bromoilsI do not know of any books showing bromoil prints only - yet. The only place I know of where there still is some active bromoil society, is in England. The most complete collection of prints in recent books are in the Lewis book. There may be some old books with images, but they will probably be quite hard to find. Some universities and libraries or museums may have some.
A brand new WWW site is showing a lot of images by Gene Laughter. Recommended.
-> Click here to find some more links.
Some of these sites have links to even more sites worth visiting. Check them out .
My first ever Bromoil.
ResourcesKentmere has established a mail-order service in Great Britain.
Kentmere Mail order service
Tlf. 44 1539 822322
Fax 44 1539 821399
Adr. Kentmere Ltd.
Freepost, Staveley, Kendall, Cumbria LA8 8BR, England
Gene Laughter has made an amateur video called "Beginners and advanced Bromoil inking", (american) VHS only. Available from Gene Laughter.
In England, there is even made a (european) VHS video about the bromoil process, which (in my opinion) is both instructive and entertaining, if you turn the volume up a bit. The video also includes some technical information. Available from The Norman Gryspeerdt Bromoil Web site. Within the site is a showcase of Norman Gryspeerd's Bromoil Prints, general information on the Bromoil Process and details on how to buy his Bromoil instructional video 'Gryspeerdt and the Bromoil Process'.
The International Society of Bromoilists
The British Bromoil Circle has kept it going since 1931. Any enquiries can be made to the secretary, Mrs. Maija McDougal, Pine Cottage, 57 Hornyold Rd, Malvern, Worchesterchire WR14 1QH, UK. Telephone (+44) 1684 893 520.
Luis Nadeau, nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca and http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/nadeaul/
David Lewis, dlewis@onlink.net
A happy endWe are a few members in a local camera club in Norway who learned about and started with the bromoil process in the beginning of 1995. Today at out meetings, there are usually shown some new images, and our exibitions have contained quite a few bromoil prints. In a recent one, the only photographs sold were bromoil prints of local subjects.
In may 1997 4 members of Kolbotn Photographic Society held an exhibition in the library at Kolbotn. Of the 51 images displayed, all made in different alternative photographic processes, almost half were bromoils.
I march 1998 we repeated this in one of the main theatres in Oslo. This was probably at the time the most complete and representative collection of bromoil images in northern europe for several decades. Nevertheless, only a few images were sold, although the feedback from the public was quite positive.
In april of 1998 the same group and a couple more held an exhibition in central Oslo, displaying more than a 100 images, bromoils and other techniques.
The most recent exibition has been in Oslo in april 2000, displaying bromoils and other photographic techniques as well. There will be another in the town of Ås in january 2001. Be there!
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Some final words of wisdomKeep on trying. The first print(s) will probably be terrible.
Don't try to make 'em too large too soon.
Never use force when inking.
No matter how small quantity of ink you start with, it's too much.
You will have to get used to black fingerprints all over.
Good luck - and remember; all problems can be solved.
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© 2000 Per Volledal