Liquid emulsion (Decay)
This is a technique that I'd advise you to use at least a couple of times each year if not more within your projects. This is one of those techniques that you'll only really get a chance of seeing and using if you go to college and therefore if this technique is used and ends up in your portfolio it's one that'll be noticed.
This is the basic version that could be done as an In Class Task (ICT) This is the version where you're looking to simply print an image onto a 'Support' such as Colorama background paper which we've usually got plenty of at the college.
Note for using the chemical (New 2026)
Decant what you need: Never melt the entire 250ml bottle over and over again. Repeatedly heating and cooling the main bottle breaks down the gelatin matrix and will cause the emulsion to chemically "fog" (turn grey or muddy).
Scoop out what you require from the bottle using a plastic spoon or knife into a far/beaker
Submerge the beaker into a hot water bath strictly below 50°C. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it melts into a smooth, creamy.
- Neat (Undiluted): Use the melted emulsion exactly as it is for the deepest, richest blacks and maximum image contrast.
- Diluted (1+1 with warm water): Mix 1 part melted emulsion with 1 part warm distilled water (around 40°C). This makes it much easier to coat larger areas smoothly, though the image will be slightly less contrasty.
- Brushing (Best for paper, wood, canvas): Use a soft, high-quality brush (like a Japanese Hake brush). Like paint, if you apply it too thin, it will look streaky. It is highly recommended to apply two thin, cross-hatched coats rather than one thick layer. Let the first layer become tacky or dry before applying the second.
Once coated, the emulsion is still liquid and highly fragile.
- The Refrigerator Trick: Immediately place your freshly coated object onto a flat shelf inside a completely dark refrigerator for 5 minutes. (Crucial safety step: Unplug or tape down the internal fridge light switch before opening the door!) This rapid cold-chill sets the gelatin instantly so it cannot run or pool unevenly.
We don't have a refridgerator, but we can use the drying cabinet with the fan turned on with no heat. This has worked really well in the past.
- Complete Drying: Take it out of the fridge and leave it in total darkness to dry completely. You can use a hairdryer, but it must be set strictly to cool/cold air. If you apply heat, you will remelt the gelatin and ruin your work
The optimum time to treat the paper would be a late session in the day during the winter months. The paper could be left over-night in complete darkness to dry flat on the enlarger base boards.
You will need...
2-4 digital images (see below for guidance)
A3 Opaque bags (Safe bags used for storing light sensitive papers
(Alternatively if students have their own 10 x 8 opaque bags with their RC VC photopaper the treated paper can be stored in those, or student could be given individual 10 x 8 bags if desired).
Enough A4 sized acetate for each person to have 2 sheets
Liquid Emulsion
Enough A3 sized Colorama paper for the class
The drying cabinet in the darkroom prepped and plugged in to the mains
Film drying clips or wooden pegs
Plastic spoon or knife
Glass beaker for the chemical
jiaban/Hake wooden brushes
Scissors
120/Medium format contact sheet printers
Sheets of heavy glass (Contact sheet glass)
Get your images ready: Try and use images that suit the technique. I would recommend using full length or 3/4 length portraits shot against plain backgrounds. Close up portraits would work too.
The easiest technique...
- Digital images resized to 10 x 8 inches desaturated, with the contrast increased slightly. I would then photoshop the image adding either a 10 x 8 polaroid or 10 x 8 film rebate file layer - ask your lecturers for the file to do this or check to see if it's in the 'Shared files' on Teams.
- Once that's applied - Invert the file and save it as PNG file at 300 ppi and re-name.
- Open the files in the default window viewer (below) (1). Change the paper size to A4 (same as the acetate). (2). The change the quality to 2400dpi and then (3). choose the 'Nesting' option to 2 images per page. (4). Look at this carefully check to see if all the area you want printed is going to be included. Flick between the ticked and un-tick options to see.
Other recommended ways of doing this include using actual neg's in an enlarger and printing normally. Or using 10x8 camera prints in the same way as you would described above.
- Sharp 35mm Negative
- Sharp Medium format negative -make sure you keep the rebate in the image (The black film edge). Print the images using the glass plates.
- Images shot on the 10 x 8 view camera scanned and converted into a negative file - make sure you keep the rebate in the image (The black film edge).
The paper
Once you've made the 10 x 8 acetate negative you need to prep the paper...
The most reliable paper that you can use is 'Colorama' background roll paper and usually there's lots of it around the dept to be used (Ask Dave T).
If you're doing this as an In-class task you would be allocated 1 x sheet of A3 paper.
(1)- Draw diagonal lines across the back of the paper as in the diagram and write your initials using black or blue ink in several places at least twice in each quarter of the paper.
This will enable you to be able to identify the back of the paper in the red light of the darkroom and also which prepped sheet of paper is yours.
(2). Under the guidance of the lecturer or technician you'll be guided to apply the liquid emulsion to the plain side of the paper. Normally this is done using a wooden hake or Jiaban brush. Brushes with metal components react with the Liquid emulsion which is full of silver.
Normally one coat is applied and allowed to soak into the paper whilst the rest of the students apply their first coat and then a 2nd coat is applied.
(3). Being very careful using either film clips or wooden pegs hang the A3 treated paper in a film drying cabinet as quick as you can and turn on the fan Do not have the heat on, the colder the air the better the outcome. The turn out all of the red safe lights and leave the paper in the cabinet to dry. Put no entry tape across the rotating door or a sign or just watch the darkroom while the paper dries.
Note other non-photography students are inquisitive about what's in the darkroom and they go into the darkrooms and use their phones to look at what's inside. Needless to say this would ruin all of the work that you've done prepping the paper.
(4). Once the paper is dry, quickly identify the papers from the initials on the back and cut the A3 sheets into 4 pieces approx A5 in size. Ideally the students would store thier liquid emulsion paper in their own opaque 'Safe bag' in the box with their RCVC photo-paper.
Contact printing your acetate negatives
(5). When you print your images, you'll be making 'Contact prints' in the same way that would with Cyanotypes... You lay the paper on the enlarger base board or one of the 120 clear glass contact sheet printers. Lay a sheet of glass over the liquid emulsion paper test strip and make a test strip. (see Dave T or the technicians for sheets of glass).
Because you're making test strips and using a very similar image each time it should be the case that once you've established the time on one enlarger this should pretty be the same for everyone, but you should at least make test strip based around time established at the start. Allocate one of your 4 pieces of treated paper to be used for test strips.
(6). Follow the guidance from the lecturer with regards development or if working independently on personal projects read through this blog post in full taking notice of the points at the start,
Taking it to the next Level.
There's a number of different things you could do to get real value out of this activity if you were to adopt it conjunction with your own projects especially in Year 2 in conjunction with your FMP.
(1). Make it one of the main experiments or potentially the final method of presenting your final body of work.
This technique if produced well has got the potential to absolutely nail the higher grades in one project almost. The technique imbues your work with a new layer of complexity and converts your work from basic to advanced and elevates to the status of being an 'Art' outcome.
(2). Hand tint - Paint or use inks or any other mark-making method to add colour to the work.
The work if produced on Colorama paper that has similar properties and characteristics to Ilford MG300. This lends itself to being potentially hand-coloured which adds another layer of creativity and experimentation and could be another developmental stage within the project.
(3). Try different supports
Most cards and papers will take the liquid emulsion if they're fairly heavy, these include cartridge paper, printing card, cardboard box card, water-colour papers, mount board and more, again this type of experimentation is higher-level learning and adds enormous value to your work.
(4). Decay and degrade
Before applying the liquid emulsion treat the paper with colour or make it look old and discarded. Fold or screw the paper up, stain it with tea, spray and or drizzle bi-carbonate of soda or lemon or orange juice. Then subject that to heat and it makes a good realistic 'Aged look' stain.
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