Here's a larger view of a 'warped/surreal Washington DC'.
Not to be repetitive, but many times it's real nice to have ALL the info
on one page, so here's the 'how to' from the blog,
about the next couple of images:
First of all, you gotta be using RC paper,
so you can make a print of the part of the image you want to mask,
and dry it off *quickly*.
Also, RC paper is 'dimensionally stable' that is to say, fiber paper when it dries,
it shrinks a bit, cause it's fiber.
(This is an additional/second print -
you should already have one taped in place on your easel.)
Step 2 - tape the print to some ruby/amber-lith, and cut the mask you want, thru both layers of the material.
Step 3 - tape the first print to your easel, in register w/ the projected image from the enlarger - set your timer to 30 seconds or so, move the print around until it lines up, and tape it firmly in place.
Step 4 - Then take the ruby/amber mask, and tape it to the *top* part of the easel, in register to the print that you've taped to the bottom part of the easel.
(If you need to supplement the ruby/amber, get some some black paper, of any kind - I bought a 100 sheet pack of black craft paper 8.5x11" a decade or so ago, just finished the last sheet recently - it cost all of a couple of dollars.)
Here's three images that use masks on the easel:
If you look at them hard, you can see how I've cut 'windows'
for several puzzle pieces, so I can expose something else onto the pieces.
In the image directly above, at lower left, I exposed the bottom of
a guitar neck. a pick-up, and strumming hand.
The puzzle piece above that has a singer and microphone,
exposed onto just that piece alone.
On this one, I left the neg (of the guitar fretboard) in the enlarger
*exactly the same*, and made several masks for increased exposure
(the darker trapezoids)...
On this one, it's not a bad idea to get out some duct tape,
to tape the easel in place, *very* firmly.
If the easel moves even the slightest, you're screwed.
(Obviously I then handcolored the various shapes differently.)
This last one uses ... careful planning... and a fresh sharp X-acto blade
(#10 is my preference)
(A brief amusing 'aside' comment about the above image?
it took me as long to find the 'scale/balance' thing... as it did to do
the entire rest of the illustration!)
The trick to this one is:
I had made an *additional* print of the chains,
cut them out w/ the aforementioned X-acto,
and pasted them *on top of* the print w/ the clumps of earth and buildings.
Then I shot a 4x5 copy neg, printed that, and handcolored it.
If you think this is all 'antiquated darkroom stuff'?...
I guess in a (limited) way you may be right.
But if you think doing similar work in Photoshop is some kind of 'piece of cake'?
.... I think not - you'll just have different problems,
and need to develop different skills.
...............
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