Hand coloring digital photographs?

Question

Is it possible to hand color photographs that you print from your computer?

What can you use?

Any book recommendations?

Answer 1

Very easily done

http://www.davidniles.com/holga/tips/color.html



Marshall paints and pencils are still manufactured

Answer 2

Yes, it is possible. As a matter of fact photographers have been doing that for years. You can use pencils or dyes. For pencil you will need the print done on a paper with a rough surface. It helps the pencil blend easier. In dyes....what kind the print is on. We would colorize entire photos from black and white to look naturally colorful.



Takes time and slow hand.



I don't know about the reputation of this book but its a possiblity:



Handcoloring Photographs Step By Step - you can find it on Amazon.





This was quite the business before the advent of color photographyl coloring black and white to look natural.



I don't know if the dyes or pencils are still available but you can check a pro foto shop and see. Or check with Freestyle or adorama.

Answer 3

If he has been running a gallery, he should have a good idea of what is selling in the "art world". I have been producing "art" photography and the whole process has depended upon the artist doing all the work, from choice of camera and lens, film, processing, printing and mounting the images. Black and white is always done archival and mounted on acid free mattes. The colour pieces were shot using Kodachrome (so that part of the process was left to a lab) and then I hand printed Cibachromes. In both cases the images were printed on archival print material (good for at least 100 years). That is the mechanical part of the "art" process. The image composition, subject selection and presentation is all dependent upon the mechanical part being perfect. Since photographers cannot personally make colour prints from a digital image file, calling them art seems to a little hard to take by art collectors. Look at any other art medium and the artist has complete control of the whole process, from choosing clay, paints, pigments, etc, to executing the piece and its presentation. Until the collectors change there criteria of what constitutes photo art, it may be a while before digital prints are accepted as art. Under the current criteria, lomographers have a better chance of their works being being sold as art.