I originally wrote this tips page in the 1990's well before digital prints were the norm or Photoshop became a household word. I decided recently to rewrite the intro to better explain that this tips page is all about hand coloring on true black and white photographic paper not hand coloring on digital inkjet papers or hand coloring in Photoshop. This is about working with transparent oils right on photographic paper. If you try this with inkjet paper it will smear the inks so don't even bother. But if you want to learn about some new techniques for hand coloring on inkjet papers or how to hand color in Photoshop I'm working on those tips pages and they will be featured here on our web site in the near future.

Hand coloring on photographic paper is an art form that goes back to before color prints existed. The first examples of hand coloring were designed to make a black and white print have the appearance of a color image or at least some color accents to set it apart from other prints of the time. When color film and printing were invented hand coloring took a back seat to the reality of color. As time pasted people looked back at the hand colored images of old family portraits and found a subtle beauty in hand coloring that couldn't be captured with color film. This tips page is about recapturing this almost lost art.

For those of you that like the hands on approach to art work you're going to love hand coloring. This is all about getting your hands dirty and working directly on a black and white photographic print. No back button, no delete, no digital do over's just you and your print. Now this can be intimidating to some but with this tips page you should have no problem finding success with your hand coloring project.

Hand colored images can be seen in a variety of places, on greeting cards and in advertising to mention a few. Some photographers offer hand coloring on portraits and wedding shots. This tips page is here to teach you the basics and then let your imagination go wild.

I've been hand coloring for over 20 years and enjoy introducing our customers to this wonderful art form. The first thing you need to know is there are no set rules. I'm going to give you some basic guidelines to get you started. I recommend you experiment with these techniques to find what works best for you.

Marshall Photo Oils
Marshall Pencils (optional)
1 doz. wood skewers
100% cotton - cotton balls
wax paper (roll)
8 x 10 piece of cardboard
8 x 10 white piece of paper
blue painters tape or
Post-it Correction & Cover-up Tape (made by 3M)
black & white print on matte paper

Choosing a good black and white paper for your print is very important. You can use either an RC photographic paper in a matte finish or a fiber base photographic matte paper.  Either one will work.

RC paper has a little bit smoother of a surface so the oils will not grip the paper as quickly and works well for blending. RC paper is less expensive than fiber base so if cost is an issue RC might be a good starter paper.

Fiber Base paper is thicker weight paper and has a toothy surface. When the print surface has more tooth the oils will work into the paper more easily and can also create richer colors by allowing multiple thin coats of color. Fiber Base papers come in your choice of cold tone or warm tone.

Whichever paper you choose, it should be matte photographic paper. Don't bother to try to work with glossy or pearl finish paper, or any inkjet papers you'll only get frustrated.

When hand coloring portraits I prefer to begin with a warm tone fiber paper, the warm skin tones makes a nice base to work with.

The base of the palette will be the 8x10 piece of cardboard. In order to see the paint colors better put a piece of white paper on top of the cardboard. Cover the card board and paper by wrapping wax paper once around the top and taping it to the back to hold it in place. This creates a disposable palette.

To add colors to the palette puncture the top of the oil tube with a piercing pin and put a small dab of each color on the palette. Each dab should be about the size of a small pea. Hand coloring oils go a long way so don't use too much.

I like to tape the prints to a piece of cardboard, it makes them easier to handle and easy to store while they dry. Use a light adhesive tape something that will peel off easily with out leaving tape residue. I've used blue painters tape and also Post-it Correction & Cover-up Tape made by 3M. The tape sticks but then peels right off without damaging the print. Blue painters tape is available at most hardware stores. Post-it Correction tape used to be easy to find in most office supply stores but it's getting tougher to find. I use 1" wide Post-it (item #658)
DO NOT USE REGULAR TAPE. IT WILL DAMAGE THE PRINT.

Begin by applying color to the larger areas of the print first with a cotton ball. Dab the cotton ball lightly in the oil to pick up only a little bit of color. Apply the color in a circular motion to the large areas of the print. The more you rub, the lighter the color will appear. You can also add different colors for blending. If you want the color to appear darker, do not add more color all at once. Allow some drying time, (4 hours min.) and then apply color in thin layers to achieve a darker tone.

After applying color to the large areas you are ready to work on more detailed parts of the print. This is where you use the skewers to apply color. Use different size skewers for different size areas to color. Pick up a little bit of oil on the cotton tip of the skewer and apply the color in a circular motion. It's not necessary to rub hard a light pressure works well.

Apply colors in layers or you can mix colors on the palette. You can come up with an infinite number of color possibilities this way.

If you work the color into an area that you don't want colored you can erase it using the Marlene solution. Dip a clean cotton skewer into the Marlene bottle to get a small amount of liquid on the cotton. Wipe it along the edge where the color is not desired and it will remove it like a liquid eraser. For best results always use a clean cotton skewer with the Marlene solution.

If you don't like anything you've done simply wipe the print clean with Marlene. Then wipe it dry with cotton balls and start over.

For more detailed areas you can use Marshall Pencils, but I recommend allowing at least 24 hours for the oils to set before working on the print with pencils. You do not need to prepare the print in any way before using your pencils.

When you're finished you can discard the wax paper with left over oil. If you know your going to be working on some prints again in a day or two you can cover the wax paper with a second piece of wax paper and it will keep the oils from drying too quickly. This allows you to work with the same palette for a few days.