RE: New Handcoloring Pens

[Stanee Rae Pettit Murray <stanee-rae@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Tim:

>> On page 58 of the January issue of PPA Storyteller magazine, there's an
>> article called "Everything Old is New."  It's about a new set of
>> handcoloring markers by SpotPen, located in New Mexico, USA.  (505)
>> 523-8820, FAX (505) 647-8786.  I contacted the company for info.

>Did you order a set of these pens? Are they any good? Know anybody else
>who've tried them out?
>I've got a *ton* of IR to hand color and this sounds almost too good to be
>true, and you know what "they" say about that.

Yes, I bought a set of the pens at a trade show.  Unfortunately, what I
wanted them for didn't pan out.  I shoot the new "b&w" film TMax 400CN.
It's processed & printed in color chemistry.  As such, my color lab can
print this along with the "regular" color stuff I shoot (Kodak PMC) and I
can charge my customers the same price for both.  They print both on
E-surface papers.  I had hoped to use the markers on these b&w prints (which
my lab prints as sepia tone), because E-surface doesn't have enough tooth
for the Marshall's Pencils.  (My HIE is printed on Luminos RCR paper, which
is especially made for handcoloring and has a suede-texture surface.
Listmember Jonathan Penney, www.bwdarkroom.com does my printing.)

After buying these pens, I got something from SpotPen in the mail saying I
could order their instructional video for $10, regular price $25.  I got it
and it was quite informative.  There was also a brief instructional sheet
with the pens themselves.

Here's the scoop -- you can only use these on certain papers!  They are not
recommended for Ektamax, Ektacolor, Royal or P-Max Art RC papers.  It said
if you are printing your b&w negs on Kodak COLOR papers, it won't work
either.  Which is exactly what my color lab is doing for my TMax CN!  I
tried it anyway, and the print remained sticky for several days.  So I guess
their recommendations are correct.

It also says that you must fix your prints with a hardening fixer.  If they
aren't you need to wait 5 days before handcoloring to give the print time to
cure.

Plus, it's not as easy to remove mistakes as with the Marshall's Pencils.
They include a remover pen, but since these are dyes that soak into the
emulsion, certain colors do not remove completely.

In all, they are not a miracle, but for someone who's never used the
Marshall's Pencils and Oils, maybe these will seem easier.  I will play with
them some more, but so far I prefer the Marshall's Pencils.

Stanee
___________________________________________________________________________
  Stanee Rae Murray, CPP   **   Stanee Rae Studio   **   Lincroft, NJ, USA
      VOICE: (732)842-5268   **   EMAIL: stanee-rae@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  

   Webmaster for Professional Photographers Association of NJ (PPANJ) and 
       Mid-Atlantic Regional School of Professional Photography (MARS)
 http://www.cmpsolv.com/ppanj   **   http://www.cmpsolv.com/ppanj/mars.html

        

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