The Van Dyke brown process, named for its similarity in tone to the browns found in Van Dyke's paintings, is a simple and elegant alternative photographic process that yields rich brown-toned images. Below is an outline for a workshop program on how to create Van Dyke brown prints, including an overview of the process and a list of materials needed.
Workshop Programme: Van Dyke Brown Print Photography
Session of 3 hours (2 x 1 1/2 h.)
Date upon request
Introduction
- Brief history of the Van Dyke brown process and its place in the history of photography.
- Overview of the process and what to expect during the workshop.
Materials Needed
- Participants will be introduced to the materials required for the process, which include:
- Van Dyke brown solution (ferric ammonium citrate and silver nitrate mixed with distilled water)
- High-quality, 100% cotton rag paper or other suitable art paper
- A brush or glass rod for coating the paper
- Negatives (digital negatives can be used, printed on transparency)
- A contact print frame
- UV light source (sunlight or a UV exposure unit)
- Developer (a simple solution of sodium carbonate)
- Stop bath (plain water works fine)
- Fixer (Sodium Thiosulfate)
- Washing tray and archival washing aid
- Protective gloves and safety glasses
Preparing the Paper
- Mixing the Van Dyke brown solution.
- Techniques for coating the paper evenly with the sensitizing solution.
- Drying the coated paper in the dark.
Exposure
- Placing the negative on the sensitized paper in a contact print frame.
- Exposing the paper to UV light, timing the exposure based on test strips or experience.
- Discussing factors affecting exposure, such as the type of light, distance from the light source, and characteristics of the negative.
Developing and Finishing
- Developing the print in the sodium carbonate solution to bring out the image.
- Stopping the development process by rinsing the print in water.
- Fixing the image to make it permanent.
- Washing the print thoroughly to remove any residual chemicals.
- Drying and flattening the prints.
Discussion and Wrap-up
- Reviewing the prints created by participants.
- Troubleshooting common issues and answering questions.
- Discussing ways to protect and display the finished prints.
- Providing resources for further learning and exploration of alternative photographic processes.
Additional Activities (Optional)
- Advanced techniques, such as toning or combining Van Dyke brown prints with other processes (e.g., cyanotype).
- Field trip to photograph subjects for creating digital negatives tailored to the Van Dyke brown process.
