Van Dyke/Kallitype process 2 - Paper Choices and Coating

The solution can then be used to coat your selected paper. I use an eyedropper to measure out specific amounts of the sensitizer. Although I usually use it full strength, it is possible to dilute it somewhat. I have tried a 1:2 ratio of H20 to solution and that has worked adequately. Any dilution beyond that risks the chance of having dark tones which are not as rich.

To coat your paper, you can try several methods. Some photographers use the glass rod coating method, which uses the least solution and may give you good results. However, in my studio I have found the most consistent results have come from using a 2 inch foam brush of the disposable variety. It seems to lay down a thin and uniform layer quite well, with practice. As many others have noted, less solution is better than more solution. Heavy layers of sensitizer tend to go blotchy.

One tip which I would offer, based on personal experience, is to tape down the paper with masking tape along all four edges to a stiff wooden board or glass sheet before beginning the coating. The coating process will wet the paper and cause it to expand and ripple. After coating, use a hair dryer to dry the paper thoroughly while it is still taped. It will gradually shrink and become taut and flat again. The advantage of this is that it will make better contact with the negative in your exposure frame, and your image will be sharper.

Paper choices are complicated. You want a paper which is rich looking but one that does not absorb too much of the sensitizer or soak it too far into the paper fibers. There are a lot of suggestions out there for papers. I have tried a number of them, including Arches Platine, Arches Cover, Rives Lightweight, etc. The paper I have come to standardize on, however, is Arches 90 pound hot press watercolor paper. It has given me superior results with Van Dyke/Kallitype prints. I believe this is because it is very heavily sized ("tub-sized") with gelatin. Therefore, the sensitizer has more of a tendency to sit on top of the paper and your values and contrast are a lot stronger than with softer, less sized papers. In a way, the gelatin sizing acts almost as a surrogate film emulsion for the solution (since film and photo paper emulsions ARE in fact made with gelatin).

Van Dyke/Kallitype process 3 - Exposure