Page 145 - The Wellington photographic handbook

be found that the ink immediately adheres to the shadow portion
and distinctly refuses to stick to the high-lights. Hence the
choice of this particular spot, as it will clear your mind at once as
to what is going to happen. If the instructions given so far have
been carried out carefully, there is not the least reason why the
pigmenting performance should not be successfully accomplished
at the first time of asking.
The process consists now merely of transferring a sufficiency
of the pigment from the palette to the surface of the print. This
sounds simple enough, and after a very little practice it is so. The
skill of the bromoil worker, however, develops with his increased
practice until he is able by judicious brush action and the applica-
tion of more or less pigment to build up or " physically develop
the image in any desired place that the composition may demand.
It will be found that a slow " pressing " movement of the brush
will deposit more pigment, and if dealing with a shadow the more
the brush charged with pigment is applied with this caressing
action to this part of the print the heavier the tone will become.
On the contrary, a quick " hopping " movement, in which the
" " or bounced smartly on to the surface
brush is literally hopped
of the print, will remove the pigment ; so that with this means of
control it is quite possible to lighten or darken any particular tone
or mass of tones in any part of the print at will.

HINTS FOR SUCCESSFUL WORK.

Care should be taken when approaching the edges of the print
not to get the brush wet by letting it work over the edge on to the
damp blotting paper. Otherwise, if this part of the wet brush is
transferred to the print it will immediately remove the pigment
already applied and the work will have to be done over again. It
is always as well, therefore, when making a bromide enlargement
for the purpose of bromoiling, to allow a little margin to the print
that need not be pigmented.
Two points that the beginner has to remember when pig-
menting a bromoil are—first, do not be in too great a hurry. Do
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